Description
Crispy and savory Potato Skins topped with melted cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and green onions, served alongside creamy sour cream. Perfect as a delicious appetizer or snack, these potato skins are baked to golden perfection with a hint of butter and seasoned with kosher salt and bacon drippings for extra flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes and Seasoning
- 7 small Russet potatoes (about 4–5 ounces each)
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter (optional)
Toppings
- 5 strips thick-cut bacon
- 1.75 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions, diced
- 1/2 cup sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Potatoes: Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them completely dry to ensure a crispy skin. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce each potato twice with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour until tender inside.
- Cook the Bacon: While the potatoes bake, fry the thick-cut bacon strips slowly over low heat in a skillet until crispy on both sides. Set the cooked bacon aside on paper towels to drain excess grease and reserve the bacon drippings for later use.
- Hollow Out the Potato Skins: Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, cut a rim about 1/3 inch around the edge of each half, then scoop out the inside with a spoon, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the skin. Reserve the scooped-out potato for other uses like soup.
- Enhance the Potato Skins: Smooth the inner surface of each potato skin with the back of a spoon. If desired, melt butter and brush it lightly on the potato layers inside to add creaminess and richness.
- Bake with Bacon Drippings: Place the potato skins back on the baking sheet skin-side up. Brush the outside and inside with the reserved bacon drippings and sprinkle evenly with kosher salt for enhanced flavor. Bake in the 400°F oven for 10 minutes to crisp the skins.
- Flip and Crisp Skins: Carefully flip the potato skins over so they are skin-side down and bake for an additional 10 minutes. This step helps the edges crisp up nicely on both sides.
- Add Cheese and Bacon: Crumble the cooked bacon into fine pieces. Turn the potato skins skin-side up again and top each with shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
- Melt the Cheese: Return the potato skins to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove from oven and sprinkle diced green onions over the top for a fresh, zesty finish. Serve warm with sour cream on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Use small to medium Russet potatoes around 4-5 ounces each to ensure the skins are crispy and the potato layer isn’t too thick.
- Reserving the inside potato flesh is great for making baked potato soup or mashed potatoes to avoid waste.
- For extra crispiness, ensure the potatoes are completely dry before baking initially.
- You can adjust the amount of cheese or bacon according to your preference.
- Substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt for a healthier dip.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: potato skins, baked potato skins, appetizer, cheesy potato skins, bacon potato skins, party snacks
