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Crispy, buttery potato skins are topped with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and green onions. Serve with sour cream for dipping. They make a great appetizer or side dish!
Loaded potato skins have long been one of my favorite appetizers to order at any restaurant. I even prefer them over a loaded baked potato because the focus is really on the toppings since there’s less potato. Not to mention the crispy, buttery outside. My mouth is watering just thinking of these!
What Makes These Potato Skins So Irresistible
This recipe features all of my favorite things about potato skins!
- Crispy skin. The outside of these potato skins ends up so crispy which, in my opinion, is a sign of a good potato skin.
- Great flavor. These are seasoned with melted butter and a few spices. I brush the melted onto them and pop them back into the oven, which really infuses the potato with so much extra flavor.
- Easy to customize. I kept this recipe as standard loaded potato skins with cheese and bacon but there are so many ways to customize them. I included some of my favorite ideas below.
- Appetizer or side dish. One thing I love about these is that they’re equally lovely with a steak dinner and as a game day appetizer. I love versatile recipes that I can make any time!
Recipe Ingredients
All you need is potatoes, a few spices, and your favorite toppings to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Potatoes – I’ve found Russet potatoes to be the best potatoes for potato skins as they hold up well in the oven and the skin gets a little crispy. Other varieties of baking potatoes would work too.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter since we’re adding seasoned salt separately.
- Spices – I season my potato skins with dried parsley and Nature’s Seasons (a type of seasoned salt). You can use your favorite seasoned salt.
- Bacon – Cooked until crisp and then crumbled. I know some people use bacon bits but I prefer the flavor and texture of real bacon.
- Green onion – Thinly sliced.
- Cheese – I love the Kraft Creamy Melt Colby Jack for these potato skins but use whatever cheese you enjoy! Sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella, and provolone are all great options.
- Sour cream – For serving.
Topping Variations
Feel free to take this crispy potato skins recipe and run with it! There are so many variations you can make, based on what you have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Taco – Either season the potatoes with taco seasoning or top them with leftover taco meat (ground beef) and your favorite toppings.
- Buffalo chicken – Add a bit of buffalo chicken dip to the potato skins.
- Ranch – Season the potatoes with ranch seasoning. This works great with the toppings in this recipe! Ranch dressing is great for dipping as well.
- Chili – Add a tablespoon or so of leftover chili to each potato.
- Other alternative toppings – chopped tomatoes, avocado crema, chives, guacamole or salsa.
How To Make Potato Skins
This recipe does take a bit of time to prepare, as the potatoes need to bake, but the good part is most of the time is hands-off. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Bake the potatoes. Clean the potatoes and prick each one 5 times. Place directly on the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until you can easily pierce the potato with a fork. Remove and allow to cool enough to safely handle.
- Scoop the inside. Cut each potato in half. Remove some of the center of the potato flesh, leaving 1/4″ to 1/2″ around the shell.
- Season. Combine the seasonings with the butter. Brush over both sides of the potatoes.
- Bake. Place the potatoes inside-down on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the toppings. Top each potato skin with the bacon and cheese. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Top with the green onions and a dollop of sour cream or serve with sour cream for dipping.
Tips for Success
Here are a few things I’ve found helpful when making this recipe.
- Adjust the baking time. Potato sizes vary greatly and therefore the time to bake them will need to be adjusted to fully cook the potato. Start with 40 minutes and increase the time by 5 minutes at a time until the potato is tender.
- Bake with the butter. The key to making the potatoes deliciously crispy is bake them a second time after brushing with the butter mixture. Don’t skip this part.
- Don’t scoop too much. You want to remove enough of the potato inside that there’s room for the filling but not so much that the potato falls apart. 1/4″ to 1/2″ around the edge of the skin and the bottom is the sweet spot, in my opinion.
What To Serve With Potato Skins
Potato skins are so fun because they can be served as a side dish or as an appetizer. I always think of them as a steakhouse side dish and love to serve them with air fryer steak bites or pan seared steak.
We also love them as a game day appetizer. I usually serve them as a part of a spread with other favorites like air fryer jalapeno poppers and honey garlic chicken wings.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Potato skins can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Keep them tightly covered with plastic wrap on a plate or in an airtight container.
- Reheat. The best way to reheat these is in the air fryer, to ensure they maintain the crispy exterior. I would reheat them on 375F for just 5 minutes or so. You can also reheat them in the oven or microwave, though they won’t be as crispy in the microwave.
More Potato Recipes To Try
Potato Skins
Crispy, buttery potato skins are topped with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and green onions. Serve with sour cream for dipping. They make a great appetizer or side dish!
Servings: 12 potato skins
Ingredients
- 6 small Russet Baking Potatoes (or 5 large potatoes)
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 Tablespoons green onion thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Sour Cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Clean the outside of the potatoes and prick each potato 5 or so times.
- Place the potatoes in the hot oven directly on a rack set to the middle of the oven.
- Bake small potatoes for 40-50 minutes (larger potatoes will need longer) or until the potato is tender when piercing with a fork.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven to cool enough to safely handle.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to remove a portion of the inside of the potato leaving a ¼” to ½” thick wall of the shell. (If you make the shell too thin they are more prone to falling apart.)
- Add the butter, parsley, seasoned salt and garlic powder to a small bowl and melt it together. Mix to combine.
- Use a pastry brush to spread the butter mixture on both sides of each potato.
- Place the potatoes with the inside down on a baking sheet. Bake in the same 425-degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Use a tongs to flip each potato over and bake for 5 additional minutes.
- Remove the crispy skins from the oven and evenly distribute the cheese and bacon among the potatoes.
- Return the potatoes to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove them from the oven, top with slivered green onions and serve with sour cream for dipping.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 489mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 264IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 1mg
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2 comments on “Potato Skins”
Like it a lot. But #8 mentions “garlic powder” which is not listed in the ingredients list, how much garlic powder should I add?
Hi Pat. 1/4 teaspoon. I just corrected that. Thanks!