Sparkling Ink: { potato skins }

Remember my day at the potato patch? Well, it was worth it because now I have a bag full of beautiful little red potatoes. I usually make these blue cheese topped crunchy red potatoes for a crowd but I thought I would try them with the new potatoes straight from the garden. Although these savory bites are usually party food, they are also a fun appetizer or a side for any weeknight supper.

Ingredients (makes 32)

- 16 new little red potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup (2.4 dl) creme fraiche or sour cream
- 1/2 cup (1.2 dl) crumbled blue cheese
- 7 slices bacon
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1/2 small red onion

Cut the well washed potatoes in halves lengthwise. Toss the potato halves in olive oil, and bake cut side down on a baking sheet at 400 F (200 C) for 20-25 minutes. The potatoes should be cooked all the way through and have crunchy skin. Set the potatoes aside to cool, and prepare the topping.

Chop fried bacon, onion and parsley leaves. If you don't happen to have parsley, you can use any herb you like. The herb brings a nice fresh touch to the creamy topping. Mix the chopped ingredients with creme fraiche or sour cream. I often prefer to use creme fraiche because the sour cream available here is quite runny. For this recipe either one works just as well, as long as it's thick enough to hold the topping on the potatoes. Add crumbled blue cheese into the mixture.

Depending of the size of the potatoes, scoop out a bit of the center to make room for the blue cheese topping. I didn't scoop out the smallest potatoes; they are crunchy and easy to eat just like that. Fill each potato skin with the mixture, and top with chopped parsley.