No matter how popular baked Idaho® potatoes are with customers, there are always leftovers.  Some restaurants save them for the next serving period but invariably the skins are wrinkled and the potatoes, cooked on premise and re-heated, just don’t taste very fresh.  The two obvious re-purposing options for leftover baked potatoes are twice stuffed spuds and potato skins.  Gibson’s Steakhouse in Chicago makes a double baked potato for $7.25 that actually sells for more than their regular Idaho® baked potato at $5.50.  Their secret…using great ingredients.  As any of their wait staff will tell you they start out with a large (70 count or more) Idaho® baker, take the interior or meat out of the cooked potato, and mix it with sour cream and chives.  They then put it back into the potato, top it with Wisconsin cheddar cheese, and add it back into the oven.  Nearly every table has one of these as the wait staff nearly always suggests sharing one among all the guests.

Potato skins, made from leftover baked potatoes, are great bar food appetizers.  They can be baked or deep fried and then topped with tasty ingredients, such as the traditional T.G.I. Friday’s version of loaded potato skins.  Here are a couple of our favorite potato skin options:

• Chicken Fajita Stuffed Idaho® Potato Skins
• Half-Time Skins

If your customers have been asking for twice baked or potato skins, but they’re too labor-intensive for the operation, what can you do?  Many manufacturers make frozen potato skins you can just thaw out and fill with your favorite toppings.  These processors also make skins already filled with your customers’ favorites, such as cheese, bacon or sour cream.  Here are a few good sources for ready to go potato skins with toppings or twice baked potatoes:

• Great American Appetizers
• Potato Products of Idaho
• Rite Stuff Foods, Inc.

For preparation ideas, check out this Idaho Potato Commission video on how to fill frozen potato skins with a variation of toppings. It’s sure to be popular with your guests!