In a great advance in cooking convenience, you now can buy potato shells in the frozen-food section of your supermarket. No more scrubbing, baking or scooping.

But this luxury comes at a price. A frozen potato skin is at least triple the cost of a whole potato. What's more, if you rely on prepared products, you'll never learn the simple art of baking a potato -- a skill everyone should have.

So, before you rush to your supermarket freezer case, try baking a couple of potatoes. Use the flesh for mashed potatoes or potato soup, and use the shells as dippers for a tangy salsa and a gutsy, garlicky Tzatziki Sauce. Then, if you want to put your time to another use, you can switch to ready-made skins.

Choose a firm, unblemished, thick-skinned spud, such as an Idaho or russet or even a large Yukon Gold. Scrub the potato well under cold running water, then pat dry. Pierce the potato in several places so it doesn't explode in the oven.

You may be served foil-wrapped baked potatoes in restaurants, but there's no advantage to this. An encased potato steams. The skin gets soggy and limp, which is not what you want. Just put the potato directly on the oven rack in a preheated 400-degree oven. When it's done, you'll smell a rich, earthy aroma. You'll be able to pierce the potato easily with a fork or squeeze it with a protected hand. Now you're ready for Baked Potato Dippers.

Baked Potato Dippers

Serves 2

3 medium baking potatoes

olive oil-flavored cooking spray

salt

Tzatziki Sauce (recipe follows)

Salsa (recipe follows)

Wash potatoes under cold water and pat dry. Pierce each potato in several places. Bake at 400 degrees until tender to the touch, about 50 minutes. Remove.

When cool enough to handle, cut each potato lengthwise into quarters. Using paring knife, cut away potato flesh, leaving 1/3-inch-thick skin with a little potato flesh attached. (Save leftover potato for mashed potatoes, frittata or a quick potato soup.)

Place potato skins on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and salt lightly. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, prepare Tzatziki Sauce and Salsa.

When potatoes are finished, arrange on serving platter with sauces in cups. Serve hot.

Tzatziki Sauce

Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup minced or grated, peeled cucumber

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced green onion (green part only) or chives

salt, pepper

Combine cucumber, sour cream, garlic, green onion and salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Stir well.

Salsa

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

1 cup diced cherry tomatoes or canned, chopped tomatoes, well drained (see note)

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1 small jalapeno chili, cored, seeded and minced

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced green onion (green part only)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

salt, pepper

Combine tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, onion, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Stir well. Note: Choose canned tomatoes if fresh ones aren't sweet andd juicy.

Pub Date: 03/10/99