Living right next to San Francisco has many perks; one of my favorites is the large amount of visitors passing through. Whenever someone visits, I show them the popular tourist spots, and then I show them my San Francisco! My San Francisco includes many parks, restaurants, and one dive bar with great music called Tempest! The Tempest has an attached kitchen that serves all sorts of fun concoctions. I am especially partial to their Pork Belly Potato Skins with Quail Eggs. Every bite is rich, cheesy perfection.
Today I was looking for a similar bite, so I created these peppery potato skins with sunny-side up quail eggs on top. They offer the same rich, cheesy flavor as the Tempest’s skins, but are made with a crispy pepper bacon creating a slightly lighter bite. I hope you enjoy them! And, I would love to hear what makes your city yours!
Peppery Potato Skins with a Quail Egg Recipe
prep time: 30 minutes
baking time: 64 – 74 minutes
makes 10 large potato skins
5 Yukon Gold Potatoes (I usually make an extra in case 1 turns out poorly)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 pound pepper bacon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Scrub the potatoes well and dry them. Brush olive oil lightly all over each potato and then lightly salt and pepper. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, they should be soft to the squeeze. Remove from the oven and cool for around 10 minutes until they are easy to handle.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil making sure to cover all of the edges. Then, lay the bacon on the sheet making sure no piece is touching another. Optionally, you can top the aluminum foil with parchment paper for easier removal of the bacon. Once the bacon is cool, crumble the bacon into little pieces.
When the potatoes have about 20 minutes to go, place the bacon in the oven on a lower shelve than the potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes. The bacon should be crispy and brown, but not burnt.
Once the potatoes are cool, slice each potato in half and then scoop out the inside with a spoon leaving about a 1/4 of an inch. Don’t worry if it’s not exact the cheese will cover any uneven parts. I saved the inside of my potatoes and made mashed potatoes.
Melt the butter and brush the butter inside the scooped potatoes. Then, lightly salt and pepper the potatoes. Put the potatoes back in the oven on a high broil for about 8 minutes until they start to brown. Once they start to brown, remove them from the oven and flip them over and place back under the broiler for an additional 3 minutes until the bottoms of the potato are golden brown.
While the potatoes are under the broiler, crack individual quail eggs by sticking a knife into the top and cutting delicately down until the egg easily breaks. Putting the cracked egg into a bowl. Place a pan on medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of water. Pour the egg from the bowl into the pan covering immediately. Cook for one minute. Repeat with all of the other quail eggs. I would recommend speeding this process up, by using multiple bowls and pouring the eggs in to one pan at the same time or using multiple pans. You can also crack multiple eggs into one bowl and then cut the egg whites apart once they are cooked.
Flip the potato skins over one additional time adding a thin layer of bacon and then a layer of cheese. The cheese should just cover the bacon and the potato. Place the potatoes back under the broiler for 3 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
Immediately, add the quail egg and green onions and serve!
