Makeover Stuffed Potato Appetizers

Hot wind. Ninety-four for three days. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Grilled ribeye Saturday. Charcoal in the kettle. Three minutes per side. Rest. Eat.

The sky was the sky. It held everything.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

The ribeye was decided by Tuesday. Three days of horses and a week that required more than the horses — the Saturday kettle fire was earned. But a steak doesn’t eat alone out here, not after a week like that one. These stuffed potatoes are what I put alongside it: honest work to make, real food on the plate, and light enough that you don’t regret them the next morning when the fence line calls again.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 24 appetizers

Ingredients

12 small red potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3 tablespoons 2% milk
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 strips turkey bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Instructions

Bake the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrub potatoes and pierce each once with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake 50–55 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife. Remove and let cool 10 minutes until safe to handle.
Halve and scoop. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Arrange the shells cut-side up on the baking sheet.
Mix the filling. Add sour cream, milk, half the cheddar, chives, salt, and pepper to the potato flesh. Mash and stir until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Fill the shells. Spoon the filling back into each potato shell, mounding slightly. Top with the remaining cheddar and the crumbled turkey bacon.
Bake again. Return the filled shells to the 400°F oven and bake 12–15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tops are lightly golden. Garnish with additional chives and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Makeover Stuffed Potato Appetizers — The Saturday Plate After a Week That Earned It