These oven-baked loaded potato skins are loaded with bacon, cheese, chives, and sour cream. It strikes the perfect balance of crisp and creaminess. Thus, making this potato recipe the best party appetizer ever! They will be a total hit among your guests, especially when served alongside crunchy fried chicken wings and a glass of mimosa.
Tips for Making Loaded Potato Skins
You can serve a plate of these crispy loaded potatoes when your favorite sports are on TV. And of course, this recipe should also be on the menu whenever you host a backyard tailgate. Check out these simple tips to make the best homemade potato skins that’ll impress your guests right off the bat:
- It’s best to use the small Russet potatoes. Russet potatoes are starchy and dry and will turn out crispier when cooked. Of course, you will want smaller spuds as they make for the best bite-size snacks!
- For extra crispy potato skins, don’t skip the coating! You can coat the skins with a butter mixture. Or just rub them with oil and kosher salt.
- For the best eating experience, loaded potato skins are best served warm and fresh out of the oven. If not served immediately, you can reheat the potato skins at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes when ready to eat.
- Don’t discard the potato flesh you just scooped out. You can still use the insides should you want to whip up mashed potatoes or tater tots.
- Try seasoning the sour cream! Whether you use it as a topping or a side dip, flavor it with herbs and garlic.
How To Make Potato Skins
This loaded potato skins recipe is incredibly effortless and fun to whip up at home. Here’s how to make it:
- Start by baking the potatoes.
- While you’re at it, cook the bacon and prepare the other ingredients.
- Once baked, slice the spuds in half and scoop out the insides.
- To make these crispy starters even more delicious, coat them with a mixture of butter, parsley, seasoned salt, and garlic powder.
- Fill the potato jackets with your desired toppings, then pop them in the oven. Bake them until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top your cheesy potato skins with chives and serve with sour cream.
When baked to a satisfying perfection, these homemade potato skins make perfect appetizers!
Recipe and Topping Variations to Try
The classic potato skins recipe doesn’t disappoint. But feel free to experiment with various baked potato toppings. Here are some recipe and topping variations that’ll excite your taste buds even more:
- Chili’s Potato Skins – They’re stuffed with bacon, cheese, scallion, and mayonnaise.
- Taco Potato Skins – Top these potato appetizers with cheese, Pico de Gallo, taco seasoned ground beef, and sour cream.
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins – Stuff your potato jackets with shredded buffalo chicken coated in a smoky and spicy sauce!
- Breakfast Potato Skins – Perfect for a morning meal, these potato boats are filled with eggs, onion, cheese, ham, and peppers
- Mexican Variation – Simply replace bacon with Mexican chorizo sausage. And feel free to toss in black beans, too!
- Hawaiian Variation – Stuff your potato boats with bacon, mozzarella, smoked ham cubes, and pineapple tidbits.
- Jalapeno Popper – Try a combination of crispy bacon, cheese, and jalapeno rings.
- Cheesesteak – Skip the bacon and use diced cooked steak and bell peppers.
- Vegetarian – Replace the bacon slices with black beans, corn, or tempeh and use vegan sour cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of eating potato skin?
Potato skins are healthier than you think. It is believed that the skin of the potato has 12 times as many antioxidants as the flesh. They’re also an excellent source of vitamin C, iron, calcium, and potassium. As such, they can help lower your blood pressure and reduce risk of stroke.
How To Make Crispy Oven Baked Potato Skins
Enjoy these stuffed potato skins coated with garlic butter and loaded with cheese, bacon, and green onions. Perfect for game-days and tailgate parties!
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ tsp parsley
- ¼ tsp seasoned salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 5 potatoes, small, baked
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese
- 3 slices bacon, cooked, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chives, or green onions
- sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Combine the butter, parsley, seasoned salt, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch shell.
- Brush both the inside and outside of the potatoes with the butter mixture.
- Place potatoes cut side down in a baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Flip potatoes over and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until it’s slightly browned and crisp.
- Fill each potato with cheese and bacon.
- Return to the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven.
- Top with chives and serve with sour cream. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories:293.57kcal
- Fat:17.17g
- Saturated Fat:8.66g
- Trans Fat:0.43g
- Monounsaturated Fat:5.38g
- Polyunsaturated Fat:1.46g
- Carbohydrates:25.37g
- Fiber:3.16g
- Sugar:1.34g
- Protein:10.08g
- Cholesterol:42.19mg
- Sodium:343.75mg
- Calcium:168.59mg
- Potassium:648.08mg
- Iron:1.23mg
- Vitamin A:94.45µg
- Vitamin C:28.63mg
FAQs
If you oil them up early, the skins may not turn crispy. The salt, too, can run off the potatoes in the heat. Instead, do a quick oil baste after the potatoes reach 205°F: Remove the pan from the oven. Brush with olive oil (or bacon grease if you have it) and a hefty sprinkle of kosher salt.
How do you're crisp baked potatoes? ›
Reheat a Baked Potato on the Stovetop
Cut the potatoes in half and put the cut sides in the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for three to four minutes. Once heated, remove the lid and flip the potatoes, heating on all sides, so the skin gets crispy.
What temperature do you bake frozen potato skins? ›
Conventional Oven
Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange product in a single layer on baking sheet and place on middle rack of oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes (half of box) or 16-18 minutes (full box).
Why put salt on baked potato skin? ›
Q: Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato.
What makes a potato crisp? ›
Kenji López-Alt in The Food Lab, “a dehydrated layer of gelatinized starch [...,] much like when you fry a french fry.” The clumped starch mixes with the fat—more on that below—to form a “potato-oil paste” that “acts almost like a batter for fried foods, creating an extra layer of crispness as the potatoes roast.”
What is the best temperature to bake potatoes? ›
Potato baking temperatures range from 350˚ to 450˚F. The sweet spot seems to be at 400˚F, a temperature that cooks the potato all the way through and crisps the skin without singeing it. That said, you don't need to strictly adhere to a certain temperature every time you bake a potato.
Is it better to bake potatoes covered or uncovered? ›
Is it faster to bake a potato in foil? Technically, it could decrease the cook time a little bit, but it's not worth it. Trust us! Wrapping potatoes in foil produces a soggy potato because the foil holds in moisture and steams the potato.
Why does vinegar make potatoes crispy? ›
The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying. Additionally, the vinegar can contribute to a golden-brown color on the exterior of the fries.
Should you wet potatoes before baking? ›
The reason you put potatoes in water is to keep them from turning grey while you cut the rest of the potatoes. That's the only reason. In fact, if you are roasting them in the oven, you want less water, not more, so you get a nice crisp crust on each piece.
How long to bake frozen potato skins at 350? ›
Transfer frozen potato skins to a freezer bag to store up to 6 months. To reheat from frozen: Microwave two potato skins for 1.5 minutes. Air fryer potato skins at 325°F for 5 minutes. Bake potato skins at 350°F for 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Cheesy Potato Skins
- Chicken. From Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings to Grilled Chicken Tenders, almost any chicken recipe goes with potato skins.
- Dips. The Best Guacamole Recipe and Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip (my healthier version of ranch dressing) would both be scrumptious.
- Sandwich. ...
- Drinks.
Air Fryer Frozen Potato Skins
- Prep Time: 5 minutes.
- Cook Time: 9 minutes.
- Total Time: 14 minutes.
Chefs put salt on the outside of their baked potatoes
The reason for doing this is pretty scientific. When you put salt on the outside of a potato, it helps moisture come to its surface and evaporate, which makes the inside of the potato even fluffier. It also helps to crisp up the skin, giving it extra crunch.
Why do you soak potatoes in salt water before baking? ›
Dunk the Potatoes in a Saltwater Solution
This step is extremely important because it seasons the skin and encourages it to dry and crisp in the oven.
Is it better to bake potatoes in foil or not? ›
In the examples above you nearly double the cost of the potato for the 50 sheets, and for the 500 sheets add nearly 36% to the cost. NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL. Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin.
Why is my baked potato still hard after cooking? ›
You don't check the temperature
A temperature between 205F to 212F inside the potatoes mean that they are cooked. If the temperature is below that, the potato may be too hard still inside, and if you go above it, they may become gummy.
Why are my potatoes still hard after baking? ›
If your baked potato is still hard after an hour, it may not have been cooked long enough. Baked potatoes typically require longer cooking times at higher temperatures to ensure they are soft and fully cooked.
Why is my baked potato skin hard? ›
If the potato is hard, bake it a little longer. Don't exceed the recommended cooking time because potatoes will continue to cook after they're removed from the oven and the skin will get dry. "Another common mistake is letting the potato rest or cool before cutting.
Why are my potatoes soggy and not crispy? ›
Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy. Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil.
