Learn how to make the best crispy Loaded Potato Skins! Quick and easy for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or a comforting side dish!
I’m a sucker for a great baked potato. Whether it’s twice baked potatoes, crock pot baked potatoes, or potatoes skins you can sign me up! Making potato skins is easy, straight-forward, and hard to mess up. However, some essential tips can take this recipe from ordinary to extraordinary. Learn how to make crispy Loaded Potato Skins with cheese and bacon using these secret weapon hacks!
LOADED POTATO SKINS
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Is potato skins good for you?
The skin of a potato contains no fat, cholesterol, or sodium. It holds more nutrients and fiber than the interior, so enjoy them for some added health benefits!
Half the fiber in a potato is in its skin. Fiber helps keep you satiated longer, prevents blood sugar slumps, and reduces the risk of colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Potato skin also provides healthy nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin B, C, and calcium. These help lower blood pressure, prevent water retention, and boost immunity.
How to Make Healthy Potato Skins
Usually, this recipe is comforting and delicious loaded up crispy bacon, melty cheese, and creamy sour cream. It’s perfectly fine to indulge, but I like to use these tips to streamline calories.
- Reduce the amount of cheese or substitute reduced-fat cheese.
- Substitute turkey bacon, chopped ham, or cut back on the amount of bacon.
- Use light sour cream or greek yogurt as a topping
- Instead of cheese and bacon, top your skins with black beans, corn, salsa, and cilantro
Potato Skins don’t have to be enjoyed solely as an appetizer. Enjoy them as a comforting side dish with some of these yummy meals.
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken
- Philly Cheese Steak Sliders
- BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Oven Fried Fish
- BBQ Pork Loin Sliders
How to Make Potato Skins
- Cook potatoes until fork tender. (See tip in the recipe below for how to cut down cooking time!)
- Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.
- Brush inside and outside of potato skins with oil and season generously with salt.
- Place skins on baking sheet and bake for 16 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Load skins with cheese and bacon. Bake for 5 additional minutes.
Make Head Potato Skins
- Prepare the recipe in its entirety except for the last step of melting cheese in the oven. Place cooled, covered prepared skins in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
If you love this recipe, you’ll love these other easy appetizer ideas!
- Easy Veggie Pizza
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Low Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks
- Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
- Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
- More appetizer recipes…
Tools used to make this Loaded Potato Skins recipe
Baking Sheet: A nice big baking sheet is a must-have for any kitchen. This half pan sheet is large than a regular cookie and works great for anything you’re baking.
Pastry Brush: I keep a few of these brushes on hand. They’re great for glazing, layering on butter and oils, and basting while cooking!
Ingredients
- 8 russet potatoes scrubbed clean
- 8 slices bacon cooked crispy and chopped
- vegetable oil
- salt
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
Toppings
- Green onion thinly sliced
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. *To decrease cooking time, start cooking potatoes in the microwave first. Use a fork to prick potatoes a few times. Microwave potatoes all at once for 5 minutes. Flip over and microwave for 5 more minutes.
- Place potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle vegetable over them. Use hands to rub oil over skins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip potatoes, and bake for 15-20 minutes more, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Cooking time will vary based on size of potatoes.
- When cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the middle, leaving some flesh around the skin.
- Brush inside and outside of prepared skins with more vegetable oil. Season both sides generously with salt.
- Place skins cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, flip and bake for 8-10 minutes more.
- Remove from oven and divide shredded cheese and bacon between potato skins. Return to oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and melted. Serve warm with green onions and sour cream.
Notes
- Prepare the recipe in its entirety except for the last step of melting cheese in the oven. Place cooled, covered prepared skins in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Bake potatoes until fork tender.
- Slice and scoop out the flesh. Brush inside and outside of potato skins with oil and season generously with salt.
- Place skins on baking sheet and bake for 16 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Once the skins have cooled completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container until ready to bake.
- Thaw in skins in the refrigerator. Transfer to baking sheet and load with cheese and bacon. Bake at 400ºF until cheese melts.
Nutrition
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