Garlic Rubbed Potato Skins with Lox and Chives

This recipe was born when a rep brought fresh Salmon Lox with the usual cream cheese and bagels to an inservice at the hospital last week. I literally squealed in delight! Not only fresh Lox but capers as well! If you have to be to work by 6:30 in the morning, this is the way to celebrate! I was surprised that not everyone shared my love of lox. Not only that, but I was given the wrinkled nose and upturned lips in distaste from my fellow professionals as I piled high my lovely lox and cute little capers upon my bagel. So sad. In all seriousness, in times like these when I ask people if they've ever actually tried shunned food in question, the answer is almost always, "ummm, well no, but....."

So I took the leftover Lox home with me. It's happy here where it's loved and appreciated. And, the bonus is, that I get to share this yummy recipe that I came up with in order to eat up all the lox.

Potato skins have a totally bad rap, nutritionally speaking. Potatoes and are actually super good for you! The skins especially are full of vitamins! Potatoes are low in fat, rich in several micronutrients, especially vitamin C - when eaten with its skin. Potatoes are a moderate source of iron, and its high vitamin C content promotes iron absorption. It is a good source of vitamins B1, B3 and B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Potatoes also contain dietary antioxidants, which may play a part in preventing diseases related to ageing, and dietary fibre, which benefits health.
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To keep them on the healthy side, skip the butter, bacon bits and cheese, you won't miss them! To doll up your potato skins, you can use any number of herbs or spices. Try fresh basil, chives, dill, garlic, cayenne pepper, caraway seed, ground peppercorns, tarragon or thyme... did I mention garlic? ;-)

TIME active 30 minutes, cooking 90 minutes

SERVES 4- 6

You will need:

4 russet potatoes

salmon lox

* 1-2 heads garlic, roasted

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1/4 cup chives, chopped

2 tabelspoons fresh parsley, chopped

low-fat sour cream

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

EVOO

Pierce 4 large russet potatoes with a fork.
* To roast garlic, remove skins, cut top off so that a bit of the flesh is exposed. Drizzle with a little EVOO. Cover loosely in foil. Bake potatoes and garlic directly on the oven rack at 350 degrees until tender. Remove garlic after about 20 minutes and potatoes about 1 hour.
Let cool, then cut potatoes in half, lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Brush both sides with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Turn oven up to 450F.

In a small bowl, smash the roasted cloves of garlic with a teaspoon of EVOO. Using a spoon, spread garlic inside potatoes.
Fill potatoes with mushrooms, lox chives and parsley. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes. ( If you prefer, leave the lox chilled until after potato skins are baked, then top them on potatoes.)

lemony peas recipe to follow