To dress up this easy Super Bowl snack, add grated cheese, crumbled bacon or any of your favorite toppings.
To dress up this easy Super Bowl snack, add grated cheese, crumbled bacon or any of your favorite toppings.Matthew Mead/Associated Press

We start by creating potato boats, which are dusted with a spicy (you control the heat) seasoning mix, then baked until tender inside and lightly browned outside. Meanwhile, we make a delicious batch of guacamole and – as soon as the potato boats have cooled a bit – spoon heaping mounds of it into them.

Then we eat as many as possible.

Want to dress them up some more? Nothing wrong with sprinkling the tops with grated cheese, cooked bacon, cooked and crumbled sausage, jalapeño pepper slices, chopped onion or whatever else strikes you.

Alison Ladman is a chef, food writer and recipe developer for The Associated Press. She also owns The Crust and Crumb Baking Company in Concord, New Hampshire.

Guacamole Potato Boats

Start to finish: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne (depending on desired heat)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 pounds medium Russet potatoes (about 4)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Method:
Heat the oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
Slice ½-inch-thick slices off both sides of each potato, reserving the middle third of each potato for another use (put them in water and refrigerate to prevent them from darkening). Using a melon baller, scoop out a bit of the flesh from each potato slice to create shallow bowls.
Arrange the potato slices on the prepared pan. Pat dry with paper towels. Brush all over with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the spice mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the outsides are crisped and browned and the flesh of the potatoes are tender.
While the potatoes bake, prepare the guacamole. In a medium bowl, combine the avocados, jalapeños, scallions, lime juice and vinegar. Mash with a fork or wooden spoon until the guacamole is as chunky or smooth as you prefer. Season with salt and black pepper.
Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, then scoop a spoonful of guacamole into the hollow of each potato. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving: 220 calories; 130 calories from fat (59 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 270 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 3 g protein.