chorizo queso with potato skins

Any of you guys enjoy watching football? Maybe with a large group of fans who happen to be your friends? Invite them over for the next game and bring out a tray of the best ever loaded potato skins. Ever. 

The best part on this one is that you can prepare it ahead of time. Then just pop a tray of filled skins in the oven to reheat. And you have one very happy crowd.

The potatoes are placed in the microwave for a short time to give them a jump start on the roasting process. Don’t skip the step where you pierce the skin with the tines of a fork. You certainly don’t want one of those guys exploding in your microwave oven. If you prefer to skip this step, that’s fine …just add some time to the roasting process so that the potatoes are cooked through and tender. 

And one more thing on the potatoes, feel free to double the amount. This recipe makes quite a bit of queso. Plenty to accommodate those extra potato skins if you choose to make them.  

When the roasted potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and carefully scoop out the potato flesh leaving about a quarter-inch thickness on the shell. Brush them with the olive oil and get them back in the oven to brown and crisp up. If there is a bit of residual oil, simply blot it up with a clean paper towel.

Place the potato skins aside as you work on the chorizo queso. Break up the chorizo into small pieces and place it in a large saucepan. Once it is crispy, remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside in a small bowl. The chopped greens are then added to that saucepan and cooked over medium heat just until they are tender, for about two minutes.

In the meantime, mix the grated cheese with the tablespoon of flour.

Keep in mind that you can use regular flour or gluten-free flour here.

When the greens are tender, whisk in the beer and bring to a simmer scraping up any browned bits as you go. Add the cheese blend a little at a time …stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth.

If you’d like to make this a gluten-free dish, be sure to use gluten-free beer at this time.

Once all of the cheese has been added, it’s time to add the crispy chorizo bits. Use about three-quarters of the bits saving the rest for serving. Once it’s all blended, transfer the mixture to a serving dish. Top it off with a generous amount of pico de gallo, followed by the remaining chorizo bits.

This can be served as a do-it-yourself kind of thing where you place the potato skins on a tray along with the bowl of chorizo queso & pico de gallo. But if you want to streamline the process a bit…

Fill the potato skins with the chorizo queso and place them on a baking sheet. When your guests have arrived and the party gets going, pop that tray in the oven for a few minutes. Transfer those goodies to a tray with a bowl of pico de gallo and some sliced jalapenos. I’d call that streamlined.

You will undoubtedly have extra queso left over. It’s just too good to waste. It is really quite thick, not the texture of a dip for chips. But there’s an easy fix for that.

Add some pico de gallo to the leftover chorizo queso. I’d say a ratio of one-to-one would work. Heat it up and you now have a bowl of the most amazing queso dip. Just add chips and voilà! Another appetizer.

chorizo queso with potato skins

Adapted from Good Housekeeping Magazine

Make your own homemade potato skins then load them with over-the-top cheesy goodness.

Ingredients

Potato Skins

  • 10 small Yukon gold potatoes (about 2.5 to 3 ounces each)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • coarse kosher salt

Chorizo Queso

  • 6 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed (broken into pieces)
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds & membrane removed)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 3/4 cup lager beer or gluten free beer
  • 8 ounces mild white cheddar cheese, grated
  • 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
  • Potato Skins, for serving
  • pico de gallo, for serving

Instructions

Potato Skins

  1. Heat oven to 425°F.  Prick the Yukon potatoes all over with the tines of a fork and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. When cool enough to handle, halve the potatoes lengthwise.  Carefully remove the potato flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell.  Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Return to oven and roast until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and set the tray aside.

Chorizo Queso

  1. In a medium saucepan, cook the chorizo on medium, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into crumbles, until crispy, for about 8 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the crumbles to a paper towel-lined plate.

  2. Return the saucepan to medium heat.  Add the chopped scallions, jalapeño, and cilantro and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

  3. Whisk in the beer and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits.  Add the cheese mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Stir in most of the chorizo crumbles, saving a small amount for garnish.

  4. Transfer the queso to a serving dish. Top with remaining chorizo and spoon some pico de gallo on top.  Serve with the warm Potato Skins.

Recipe Notes

Use any leftover chorizo queso to make a dip by adding an equal amount of pico de gallo to the queso.  Heat thoroughly stirring halfway through.  Serve warm queso dip with tortilla chips and, if desired, slices of fresh jalapeño.

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