Ridiculously Easy Potato Skins
Quick Potato Skins are an easy way to take an ordinary vegetable and turn it into something the whole family loves. These are crispy, healthy, and loaded with delicious toppings! To enjoy them with some spicy tang, top them with our 15-Minute Homemade Hot Sauce!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 small russet potatoes (about 3–4 inches long each)
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 pieces bacon
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, green parts sliced*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Poke potatoes several times with a fork and wrap them with aluminum foil. Place directly on the oven rack, in the center of the oven, and bake until a knife easily pierces through about 50-60 minutes. Alternatively, use one of these other baked potato cooking methods.
- Meanwhile, prepare the butter, cheese, and green onions.
- Slice the bacon into small pieces and cook until it is barely crispy. Drain the bacon pieces on a towel and save the grease for future cooking.
- When the potatoes are done, carefully unwrap them – they will be hot. Slice them in half lengthwise and let them sit for about 5 minutes so they’re cool enough to handle.
- Turn the oven to broil.
- Using a spoon, scoop about the flesh from inside the potato, leaving about 1/4″ worth of the flesh intact all around. Save the flesh for mashed potatoes or another recipe.
- Place the potato halves on a cookie sheet, skin side down. Brush the inside of the potatoes with melted butter; season generously with salt and pepper.
- Flip the potatoes over and repeat with the melted butter, salt and pepper.
- Place under the broiler for 2 minutes, setting the timer so they don’t burn.
- Using tongs, flip the potatoes over and broil again for 2 minutes, using the timer.
- Pull the potatoes out and divide the cheese among the potatoes. Top with bacon and place back under the broiler for 2-5 minutes more, until the cheese is thoroughly melted and just started to brown.
- Top with sour cream and green onions as desired.
Notes
- You can use a slow cooker or an instant pot to cook the potatoes. Bake them while you’re getting ready in the morning (or watching a show before bed).
- You can even microwave the potatoes if you’re really short on time. You can find instructions for all these cooking methods in this post.
- When making bacon for another meal or for a weekend breakfast, set aside some for the potato skins (allow 1 piece per whole potato).
- Buy the cheese in bricks, shred it yourself and freeze it. Just pull out a package from the freezer.
Nutrition
- Calories: 149
Keywords: potato skins, potato skins loaded, potato skins recipe
Find it online: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/potato-skins/