Easy to make Potato Skins topped with lots of melted cheese and crumbled bacon. Homemade potato skins are a great appetizer or snack for game-day or parties. You can make them simple with a few toppings or try other toppings to dress them up even more.
Potato skins are popular bar snacks, but I like to make them at home because I can make them just how I like them, and they’re also not as greasy as restaurant ones.
For this version, I went with a simple potato skin recipe that’s extra cheesy with bacon and then a dollop of sour cream and sliced green onions for serving.
What Are the Best Potatoes for Potato Skins?
Russet potatoes are best for potato skins. First, they have thicker skins that hold up well after baking them. Second, it’s also easier to scoop out the inside without the whole thing collapsing on you.
Once you fill them, they hold up well, too.
These crispy oven-baked potato skins are great for game-day get-togethers or other parties.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Medium-sized russet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Cooke bacon crumbles
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Green onions and sour cream for garnishes
How to Cook Potato Skins
Poke the potatoes with a fork and then coat them in olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake them in a 375°F oven for about an hour or until they are soft and tender.
Cool the potatoes until you can handle them (about five to ten minutes), and then slice them in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the inside of each potato, leaving about ¼ to ½ inch of potato in the skins. Brush them with more olive oil, and then sprinkle salt and pepper over the hollowed-out side.
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Place them on the baking sheet skin side up and bake them for ten more minutes at 425°F. After 10 minutes, turn them over and bake them for five more minutes.
Take the pan out of the oven and let the potatoes cool for a few minutes. Turn on the broiler.
Top the potatoes with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. Place the pan under the broiler and broil the potato skins for a couple of minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Top them with some sour cream and sliced green onions for serving.
Other Topping Ideas
Traditional potato skins are usually made with cheddar cheese and bacon (like the recipe I’m sharing), but you can get creative with the toppings and try something new. Here are some ideas:
- Bacon Cheddar Ranch: Make them as instructed but instead of serving them with sour cream, dry drizzling some ranch dressing over the top instead.
- BBQ Bacon: For this one, make them as instructed and then drizzle BBQ sauce over the top and then garnish with the sour cream and onions.
- Bacon Jack Blue Cheese: Use Monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar cheese. Add the bacon, and then sprinkle blue cheese crumbles over the top.
- Mexican-Style: Use a Mexican cheese blend and then spoon salsa over the top. Add some green onion and a dollop of sour cream or guacamole for serving.
Recipe Tips
I think potato skins are best hot from the oven. If you have leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigerator for a few days. The skins will soften, but they will still taste good. Then, just warm them up in the microwave.
To make things easier, you can prep these potato skins a day in advance. First, bake the potatoes as instructed and then fill them with cheese and bacon. Next, place them in a dish and cover them. Keep them in the refrigerator, and then when you’re ready, just put them under the broiler until they are hot and the cheese is melted. Save this potato skin recipe for your next party, and they will be a hit. No one can resist the combination of melted cheese, bacon, and potato. I hope you enjoy it!
More Game Day Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Potato Skins Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 8 slices bacon cooked a little crispy
- 1 cup possibly more cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Green onions for garnish
- Sour cream one dollop per potato skin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a fork, poke each of the potatoes a couple times on each side. Rub the potatoes with olive oil (save half the olive oil for later) and space them out on the baking sheet. Cook for 50 minutes to an hour or until potatoes have softened. They should give a little when squeezed or pressed.
- Let potatoes sit for 5-10 minutes (be careful handling them as they will be hot) and then cut them in half long ways. Scoop out the potato into a bowl and set aside to use later. Leave ¼ to ½ inch of potato in the skins depending on how much potato taste you want.
- Turn oven up to 425°F. Brush olive oil over the potato halves. Sprinkle some salt and pepper potato halves. Place the baking sheet back in the oven. Potatoes should start out with the skin side up. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip them potato side up and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Turn the broiler on in the oven. Crumble the bacon. Add cheese and back to each potato half. Note that when the cheese melts it will shrink so put a generous amount of cheese on the potato followed by the crumbled bacon. Put under the broiler for a couple minutes or until cheese is melted through. Remove from oven
- Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some green onion slices. Serve!!
Recipe Nutrition
Easy Potato Skins are so easy to make and topped with lots of melted cheese and crumbled bacon. The perfect appetizer, side or snack!