Crispy Loaded Potato Skins
I love some good crispy loaded potato skins. A crispy potato shell, filled with melted, gooey cheese and salty, smoky bacon, what’s not to love?
Ingredients
- 6 small to medium Russet potatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, see note
- ¼ cup bacon bits
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion, optional
- Sour cream for serving, optional
Directions
Bake & Prep the Potatoes:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Since you’ll be eating the skins of the potatoes, start by thoroughly washing and scrubbing 6 medium Russet potatoes and then patting them dry. In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes and pour ¼ cup olive oil over them. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt and turn the potatoes to coat them well.
- After moving the potatoes to the oven, pour the remaining salty oil into a small bowl and set aside.
- Use a sharp knife or toothpick and poke 2-3 holes in the potatoes. Place the salted and oiled potatoes on the baking sheet (or directly on the oven rack with the baking sheet below them) and bake for 45-55 minutes. Once fork tender and cooked through, remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- (These potato skins can be a bit salty. If you’d like to remove some of the salt, don’t wash them off after baking, but use a paper towel to brush them off before continuing.)
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, cut them in half lengthwise. Using a cookie scoop, melon baller, or spoon if that’s all you have, remove the filling of the potatoes, leaving at least a ¼” border.
Make the Potato Skins:
- Move the oven rack to the second highest position and change the oven to a high broiler setting.
- Place the potato skins back on the baking sheet, cut side down. Lightly brush the outsides with the reserved oil from before and place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the skins from the oven and flip them over. Lightly brush with the oil again, then add a sprinkle of ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder that’s been mixed. Place back under the broiler until the cut edges and interior are slightly crisped, another 2-3 minutes.
- Take them out of the oven again. Now top the potato skins with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and some bacon bits. Place them back under the broiler until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute or two. Once they’re cool enough to handle, place the crispy loaded potato skins on a plate and top with a bit of chopped green onions if you want and serve with a side of sour cream.
Equipment Used
Notes
1) Potatoes – Use small to medium Russet potatoes that are roughly 3-4” in length. Potato skins should be a good 2-3 bite appetizer that is easily held. Use Russet potatoes because they have a thicker skin than other varieties and hold up better to the multiple cooking steps.
2) Cheese – Sharp cheddar is classic, but you can use almost any melty cheese you prefer. I recommend buying it in a block and shredding it yourself though. It literally only takes 1 minute to do, and it tastes and melts better than pre-shredded cheese. 1 cup of cheese is the minimum to cover the potato skins. If you want them cheesier, feel free to add more, up to 2 cups easily.
3) Potato Filling – After scooping out all the potatoes to make skins, what to do with the leftover filling? If you don’t want it to go to waste, you have a few options. The easiest thing to do is add some butter and milk to a pot, heat it up, then add the potato filling and make mashed potatoes.
You could also toss with some salt, pepper, and flour, add oil or butter to a skillet, and make hashbrowns out of them. If you made your own bacon bits, you could also fry up some more diced bacon, add the potatoes and some seasoning and a few eggs and make a breakfast hash.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 potato skinCalories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 1315mgPotassium: 315mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.5gCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg
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