These loaded potato skins are crispy potato skins loaded with creamy mashed potatoes, sour cream, butter, and cheese, topped with bacon bits, green onions, chives, and more cheese. Baked potatoes at their best, a perfect appetizer or side dish!
Photo Update 1/20/16
I grew up in Idaho, my high school mascot was a Russet potato (hilarious I know). My hometown was surrounded by potato fields and the schools closed every fall for 2 weeks so everyone could harvest the potatoes. So it probably is no surprise that one of my favorite foods in the whole world is a baked potato, add a little butter and sour cream and it is even better. I could eat them almost daily but I don’t. I rarely made mashed potatoes for my family but I would be happy to make a baked potato any time. I am even happy to eat them for breakfast.
I discovered a little secret to making a baked potato even better, add a little olive oil and salt to the scrubbed skins before roasting. After roasting top your potato with butter, sour cream, and a few green onions or chives – the combination is wonderful.
These loaded potato skins are potatoes that are baked to perfection, with a crispy skin. Then you’ll scoop out the insides of the potato together with butter and sour cream. Return some of the mashed potatoes to the skins, and top with cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, or any other baked potato toppings you love.
I’ll admit, we have these for dinner sometimes, but they’re perfect for an appetizer or side dish too. They’d be so great for the superbowl coming up too!
Loaded Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 3 Russet (baker potatoes - scrubbed clean)
- 2 - 3 TBS olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt (divided)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 slices bacon* (cooked and crumbled)
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup sour cream (divided)
- 3 green onions (minced)
- 3 TBS chives (minced)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Scrub the potatoes clean and prick each 3 times with a fork
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Rub 1/2 of mixture all over potatoes.
- Bake potatoes for 1 hour or until fork tender.
- While potatoes are baking cook bacon slices if you are not using precooked bacon bits. Crumble.
- Grate cheese. Mince onions or chives or use both.
- Once potatoes are tender remove from oven, cut each in half, scoop out most of the potato and put in a bowl; leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in skin.
- Mash potatoes, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sour cream together.
- Combine in 3/4 cup grated cheese and 1 tsp salt.
- Slater olive oil mixture all over the inside and outside of the potato skin.
- Set on cooking tray skin side up to roast for 10 more minutes, turn over and roast for 10 more minutes.
- Load each potato skin with 1 to 2 large spoonfuls of mashed potatoes but don't fill the skin completely. Make an indentation in the potato to add more toppings later.
- Top with the remaining shredded cheese and roast potatoes for 5 more minutes in oven to melt cheese.
- Serve topped with bacon bits, green onions, chives, more cheese or sour cream.
Notes
What is your favorite baked potato topping?
Six Sisters Stuff says
Those look so good! And your pictures of your family are so cute! Thanks for linking up to Six Sister’s Stuff! Hope to see you back next Saturday!
-The Sisters
kendra says
Hi Aimee! those potato skins look great! To answer your question, I live in northern virginia. So neat that you’ve been to the museum. It’s phenomenal!
aimeeberrett says
This looks so good mom! I made twice baked potatoes for the super bowl, but I’ll definitely have to try your version. 🙂