This is the recipe for the light potato appetizer I took to the cookie exchange party . It works great as a make-ahead appetizer (just broil before you want to serve them) or as a side dish for brunch or dinner. I love that you can make these the night before you need them! The original recipe called for pork bacon, a tablespoon of bacon grease, and regular cream cheese and cheddar cheese. I used turkey bacon, 2 teaspoons of olive oil instead of bacon grease, light cream cheese and reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese. These were really yummy. I am definitely not going to wait until another party invitation to make these again! The Savings per serving:

• Calories decreased by 23% from 110 to 85 per serving
• Fat grams were cut in half from 6 grams to 3 grams per serving
• Saturated fat grams were also cut in half from 3 grams to 1.2 grams per serving

Potato Bacon & Cheese Bites Photo: Elaine Magee Ingredients 10 small new potatoes or red potatoes (about 2 pounds) 6 strips turkey bacon 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 3/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/3 cup light cream cheese 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese Freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil Freshly ground salt (optional) Directions

1. Pierce potatoes two times each with a fork and place on microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH until potatoes are tender. Let potatoes cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, begin heating a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, coat with canola cooking spray then fry turkey bacon until crisp. Remove turkey bacon from skillet and crumble into small pieces and set aside.
3. In same skillet (with turkey bacon residue) sauté onion in a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat, stirring often, until golden (about 3 minutes). Add minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat.
4. Cut potatoes in half widthwise and scoop out most of the potato flesh with a small spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add bacon bits, onion mixture, cream cheese, and chives to potato flesh in mixing bowl and beat on low until just combined (about 10 seconds). Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
5. Spoon the mixture into the potato shells (there should be about 20 potato halves) and arrange them into a 9-inch metal pie pan. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the top of the potatoes and sprinkle a pinch of freshly ground salt evenly over the top of the potatoes if desired. You can cover the potatoes and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them at this point.
6. When ready to serve them, preheat your broiler and make sure the oven rack is 6 inches from the heat. Broil the potatoes, watching carefully, until the tops are golden. Transfer the potato halves to a serving plate and serve!

Yeild: Makes 20 potato bite appetizers Nutrition per serving: 85 calories, 3.5 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 1.2 g saturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat, .8 g polyunsaturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 1.3 g fiber, 148 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 31 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .6 gram. Related Topics:

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