Loaded Potato Skins are made with tender baked potatoes, scooped out, brushed with a seasoned butter and crisped up in the oven. Then they are filled with a combo of shredded cheese and crispy bacon, baked again to get all melty and crispy. Serve them topped with green onions, AND the extra bonus here is the recipe for Roasted Garlic Sour Cream Dip. This Loaded Potato Skins Recipe is over-the-top!
Serve these up as a fantastic appetizer, especially for game day or a cocktail party.
This can also be a great recipe for leftover baked potatoes!
We absolutely love a potato recipe around here. They are so filling and comforting. You can make this mashed potato recipe with the potato you scoop from the baked potatoes. Next try these loaded twice baked potatoes or twice baked potato casserole.
RELATED: Perfect Baked Potatoes
Why These Aren’t Your Average Potato Skin
- The potato skin start getting extra crispy when you bake the potatoes, by coating them in a little oil.
- After the potatoes are scooped out they get coated in a seasoned butter sauce.
- The edges and skins get nice and crispy.
- The potatoes are generously filled with fresh shredded cheese that melts super creamy.
- Real crispy bacon, not bacon bits, is key here!
- The final kicker is the roasted garlic sour cream dip, it really sets this Potato Skin Recipe apart from others.
Simple Ingredients
Loaded Potato Skins start with russet potatoes, try to pick smaller russet potatoes for a 2-3 bite potato skin.
You will also need some butter, seasonings from your spice cabinet like, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. That makes up the butter sauce that not only gets the potato skins nice and crispy, it also adds a layer of flavor.
Fresh shredded cheese is a must! It will melt up creamier and more flavorful than the pre-shredded stuff. A cheddar or colby jack will work great here.
I highly recommend that you use a real bacon, not bacon bits from a bottle. I use Costco microwave bacon, so I think that is a good compromise between skillet cooking or using the bits.
Green onions may look like a garnish, but they definitely add flavor to this appetizer.
Step by Step- Picture Instructions
- Bake the potatoes.
- Roast the garlic.
- Scoop out potatoes.
- Make butter sauce.
- Oil the potatoes again.
- Bake potato shells.
- Fill with toppings and bake.
- Garnish and serve.
Scrub your russet potatoes and prick them on all sides so the steam can escape while baking.
Rub the potatoes lightly with olive oil or canola oil. This will start the crisping process!
Bake at 400° for 50 minutes up to an hour. You can test if your potatoes are cooked with an instant read thermometer, they should be at 210°F to be cooked through.
Optionally- you can make the baked potato in the air fryer or in the Instant Pot. But I still recommend finishing the Loaded Potato Skins in the oven.
Cut the top off the garlic head, exposing a little of the garlic. Place in a piece of foil and drizzle with a little oil. Fold the foil over the garlic enclosing it completely.
Place in the oven for about 20 minutes while the potatoes cook.
Let the baked potatoes cool a bit before cutting.
Once you can handle them, cut them lengthwise. Then with a small spoon scoop the potato out of the skin, leaving about ¼ inch of potato around the edge. See photo:
(Increase the oven temp to 425° at this point)
Save that scooped out potatoes for mashed potatoes!
In a small bowl add the butter, microwave for about 15-30 seconds to melt. Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper.
With a bbq brush or pastry brush coat the potatoes, inside and out, with the butter sauce. Place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes and pop back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
Now divide the cheese and bacon among the potatoes and place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Garnish the potato skins with chopped green onions.
Combine the smashed roasted garlic with the sour cream, onion powder, and kosher salt. Serve on the side as a dip for the Loaded Potato Skins
Reheating Loaded Potato Skins
If you have leftover Potato Skins pop them in the fridge, in a covered container for up to 4 days. To reheat pop them in a 400° oven for about 10 minutes, then broil for the last couple minutes to get a crispy edge!
More Indulgent Appetizers
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Loaded Potato Skins Recipe
Ingredients
Loaded Potato Skins
- 6 small russet potatoes
- olive oil - or canola oil
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon - cooked crispy, and crumbled
- 3 green onions - chopped
Roasted Garlic Sour Cream
- ½ head of garlic
- olive oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- healthy pinch or two of kosher salt
- healthy pinch or two of onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Wash the potatoes and then lightly dry them. Prick each potatoes a few times on each side. Rub with olive oil or canola oil.6 small russet potatoes, olive oil
- Pop in the oven directly on the oven rack and bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour. You will know when your potatoes are cooked through when they reach 210℉ internal temperature, easily check with an Instant Read Thermometer.
- Let the potatoes cool before handling. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the potato, leaving about ¼ inch of potato still attached to the skin. (see photo)(save the potato to make mashed potatoes!)
- Increase the oven temp to 425℉
- In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Brush the butter mixture on all sides of the cut potato halves (skin and cut side).3 tablespoon butter, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes until the edges get golden and crispy.
- Flip the potatoes over and bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Now divide the cheese and bacon between all the potatoes. Pop back in the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly and melted.1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 6 slices bacon
- Top with sliced green onions and serve with plenty of sour cream for dipping.3 green onions
Roasted Garlic Sour Cream Dip
- Cut the very top off half a head of garlic.½ head of garlic
- Place half a head of garlic in a small piece of foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Enclose the package so that the garlic and oil are in a packet.olive oil
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft garlic out of the shells into a small bowl.Mash it with a spoon
- Add the sour cream, kosher salt and onion powder, stir to combine.½ cup sour cream, healthy pinch or two of kosher salt, healthy pinch or two of onion powder
Leftovers- Reheating
- If you have leftover Potato Skins pop them in the fridge, in a covered container, for up to 4 days.
- To reheat pop them in a 400° oven for about 10 minutes, then broil for the last couple minutes to get a crispy edge!
John says
These were a perfect app for our tailgate party! The reheating instructions were great but not needed!