These crowd-pleasing potato skins combine two favorite comfort foods into one irresistible bite. Our Italian-Style Beef & Pork Meatballs add hearty flavor while our Basil Pesto brings a fresh, herbal kick to this satisfying appetizer.
Ingredients
2 lbs small potatoes, about 2-2 ½” (Dutch yellow, Yukon gold or red)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
½ cup pizza sauce, purchased or homemade
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
¼ lb Armanino Italian Style Beef & Pork Meatballs
2 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons diced green pepper
2 tablespoons diced black olives
2 tablespoons Armanino Basil Pesto
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
Place potatoes in a large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper; toss to coat.
Arrange potatoes in a single layer and bake until tender, 40-45 minutes, giving the pan a shake halfway through to turn.
At the same time, place the frozen meatballs on a separate sheet pan and bake with the potatoes for about 20 minutes. Turn the meatballs frequently during baking so they don’t overbrown on the bottoms. When cool enough to handle, dice into small pieces and set aside.
Cool the potatoes completely on the sheet pan, about 15-20 minutes.
Slice the potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers with a small spoon or melon baller, taking care not to pierce the skins. Save the potato centers for another use.
Place potato skins, empty side down, back on the sheet pan.
Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes.
Fill the potato skins with a spoonful of pizza sauce, a good pinch of mozzarella, a little bit of pesto, diced meatballs, green peppers, red onions, and olives.
Pop back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes until melted and golden. Garnish with a pinch of grated parmesan.
Serve hot with additional pesto.
Chef’s Tips
The potatoes will cool faster if you cut them in half lengthwise when cool enough to handle and leave cut side up on the sheet pan.
Caprese fan? Swap out the tomato sauce with pesto and top with fresh mozzarella and diced cherry tomatoes.
