Potato peels can be a challenging scrap to find another use for, but it turns out there is a pretty genius way to use up heaps of potato peels. Thanks to longtime Food52er AntoniaJames, I learned that potato peels’ true destiny is in bread. She first shared *years* ago that she cooks the peels in water and blitzes the peels with a hand blender, saving both the starchy cooking water and the blended potato peel mush for use in rustic artisanal breads. <br /> <br />I decided to apply AntoniaJames' trick to Alexandra Stafford’s Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia as my base recipe. Stafford’s no-knead bread, and her recent cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs, have taught me so much about bread baking, so I was thrilled when she recently shared a tweaked version of her base focaccia bread. With a heap of potato peels looking at me, it was meant to be. <br /> <br />And, so inspired by Potato (Peel) Focaccia, my brain immediately jumped to loaded baked potato skins, which is one of the few ways—besides, now, in bread!—potato skins get to shine. So I made a version of the focaccia loaded with cheddar cheese, green onion, and bacon bits, which is the perfect partner for a bowl of potato soup (which you just might have the potatoes on hand to make). <br /> <br />For the bacon bits, I used the shelf-stable ones that aren't actually made with any bacon, because it makes the bread vegetarian-friendly! If you not into that idea, use well-cooked, crumbled bacon instead. <br /> <br />Any type of potato peels can be used in this recipe. Lightly-colored, thinner ones like Yukon Golds will virtually disappear, darker-colored ones like russets will freckle the dough. And it isn't necessary to hit the 4-ounce mark either, if you're only peeling 4 potatoes, use those peels! I like to put the peels in one pot and the potatoes in another and cook them at the same time, if you do that, too, you can use the potato-cooking water as well, in Step 3. <br /> <br />Recipe adapted from Alexandra Stafford's from&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://alexandracooks.com/2018/03/02/overnight-refrigerator-focaccia-best-focaccia/">Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia</a></strong>.

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