Potato Skins

These crispy stuffed Potato Skins are loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon! They're easy to bake in the oven and have restaurant-style tricks for added extra flavor to the skins!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: Potato Skins

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

7 small Russet potatoes see notes for size recommendation
5 strips bacon thick-cut
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon butter optional
1.75 cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 green onions diced
1/2 cup sour cream for serving

Instructions

Scrub the potatoes clean and pat completely dry.
Preheat oven to 400°. Pierce each potato twice with a fork and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon slowly over low heat until crispy on each side. Set the bacon aside and reserve the grease.
Slice each cooked potato in half and use a paring knife to cut a rim around the edge. Use a spoon to scoop out the middle, leaving about 1/3 inch of potato on top of the skins. (Reserve the excess filling for making Baked Potato Soup!)
Use the back of a spoon to smooth the potato layer over the skin. If desired, melt a small amount of butter over the top to make it creamier.
Place the potatoes back on the baking sheet, skin-side-up. Brush the skins with bacon drippings and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 10 minutes.
Flip the potatoes over. Bake skin-side-down for 10 more minutes.
Crumble the bacon into fine pieces. Top the potatoes with the shredded cheddar and bacon.
Bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Sprinkle with diced green onions and serve with sour cream.

Notes

Pro Tips

My ideal size for the potatoes I use for these are just over 1/3 lb. (.36 lbs. each to be exact.)
Shred the cheese from a block for best results, it melts and tastes better than bagged shredded cheese.
Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar is my brand of choice.
If you scoop out too much and rip the skin, take some of the scooped out potato and press it back into place.
These are easy to reheat in a 325° oven for about 15 minutes.

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/potato-skins/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-35717":{"type":"food","name":"Potato Skins","slug":"wprm-potato-skins","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Potato-Skins-f.jpg","rating":{"count":8,"total":40,"average":5,"type":{"comment":8,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"amount":"7","unit":"small","name":"Russet potatoes","notes":"see notes for size recommendation","id":4492,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"7","unit":"small","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":0,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"7","unit":"small","unitParsed":"small"}}},{"amount":"5","unit":"","name":"strips bacon","notes":"thick-cut","id":4430,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"5","unit":"","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":1,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"5","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"Kosher salt","notes":"","id":4004,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":2,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"amount":"1","unit":"Tablespoon","name":"butter","notes":"optional","id":3648,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"Tablespoon","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":3,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"Tablespoon","unitParsed":"Tablespoon"}}},{"amount":"1.75","unit":"cups","name":"cheddar cheese","notes":"shredded","id":4429,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1.75","unit":"cups","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":4,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1.75","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"amount":"2","unit":"","name":"green onions","notes":"diced","id":3670,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":5,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","name":"sour cream","notes":"for serving","id":4132,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","timestamp":1778513236000},"type":"ingredient","uid":6,"unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}}],"originalServings":"14","originalServingsParsed":14,"currentServings":"14","currentServingsParsed":14,"currentServingsFormatted":"14","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"Potato Skins","servingsUnitRaw":"Potato Skins","originalServings":"14","originalServingsParsed":14,"type":"recipe","recipeId":35717,"name":"Potato Skins","image":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Potato-Skins-f-500x500.jpg","servings":14,"parent_id":"35702","parent_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/potato-skins\/","cachedAt":1778513236,"modifiedAt":1747054967}}}