Loaded Potato Skins

We are approaching fall and football season about to begin, these loaded potato skins are the perfect appetizer recipe. There is nothing better than cooking your favorite game day foods and having your friends and family over to cheer on your favorite team.

Loaded Potato Skins should and will be on the list of favorite finger foods. With a crispy outer skin. A soft, buttery, and cheesy center mixed with smoky, crispy bacon, and then topped with a dollop of sour cream and green onions.

Preparing the Potatoes for the Oven

Potatoes are grown in the ground, so they tend to be dirty. Give the tater a gentle scrub under running warm water. Follow up the bath with a good dry.

Once the potatoes are completely dry, brush them completely with vegetable oil before placing on a foil lined baking sheet. For extra seasoning, sprinkle the outside of the oiled potatoes with sea salt and pepper.

Knowing when the potatoes are cooked

Bake the potatoes for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on the size of your potato. Bigger potatoes tend to take quite a while. Potatoes will be completely cooked when a fork or knife can be inserted easily into the thickest part of the potato.

Another way to determine if the potatoes are done is when the skin begins to look wrinkled and when given a squeeze, they are soft. A firm potato is an undercooked potato. A mushy potato might as well be mashed potatoes.

The Cheesy Center

This appetizer is made of cooked and halved potatoes. The center of the potatoes are scooped out leaving a quarter of an inch of potato to hold the delicious center filling. Load the center of the spud with a heaping pinch of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, crispy cooked bacon, and diced jalapenos. Place the potatoes under the broiler to melt the cheese to a soft and bubbly perfection.

Additional Variations

Traditionally, loaded potato skins have shredded cheese, crispy bacon, green onions or chives, and topped with sour cream. The limits and possibilities are endless. Try adding some barbeque pulled pork for a heartier, more filling potato skin. Add ground beef, cheese, and peppers for a southwestern flavor.

The best potatoes for Loaded Potato Skins

By far and the most recommended potato for making loaded potato skins is the russet potato. A russet potato has a ton of nutrients in just the skin. Potatoes are high in fiber along with many other vitamins. Potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin C and B vitamins to name a few.

Additionally, the thick skin is solid and sturdy which can hold all the contents you wish to add to the centers. The fluffy whites are easy to spoon out as little or as much as you desire.

Don’t throw away the center! Use the whole potato

To avoid wasting most of the baked potato, use the centers for other meals or appetizers. The centers can be used to make delicious and creamy mashed potatoes, tater tots, or they can be added to a soup or a stew.

Difference between a potato skin and a twice baked potato

The center of the potato is almost entirely removed when making loaded potato skins leaving more room for the flavorful center ingredients.

A twice baked potato has the center removed and is used as a part of the filling that is mixed with cheese, bacon, and chives. After mixing, the filling is added back to the hallowed-out potato skin overflowing the shell, topped with more cheese and baked again. Loaded potato skins are more of an appetizer as twice baked potatoes are more of a side dish.

Storing and Saving Loaded Potato Skins for Later

Once the potatoes have cooled, place an air tight container and place in the refrigerator. They will keep for two to three days, if they last that long.

Reheating stored and refrigerated potato skins

When you are ready to reheat, place the potato skins in the preheated oven. Warm at 350° for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Add your desired toppings as you would if made just then.

Instead of the oven, and for a quicker reheat, place the potato skins on a microwave safe plate and warm them for 30 seconds to a minute. Top as desired.

Serve these loaded potato skins along with your other favorite appetizers or game day munchies. Mozzarella sticks or buffalo wings and celery. Jalapeno poppers, sliders, ribs, or even pizza.
These delicious potato skins are an excellent addition to your party plater.

Ingredients Needed to Make Loaded Potato Skins

• Potatoes
• Bacon
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Jalapenos
• Salt
• Pepper
• Optional: Sour Cream, Chives

How to Make Loaded Potato Skins

• Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
• Rinse, dry, and poke potatoes with a fork.
• Brush the potatoes with vegetable oil and place on baking sheet.
• Place in oven and bake until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.
• Cook bacon while potatoes are baking. Crumble and set aside.
• Remove from oven, place on a wire rack and once potatoes are cool enough to handle.
• Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise.
• Scoop out the flesh leaving 1/4 inch remaining and place back on baking sheet.
• Top potatoes with shredded cheese, bacon, diced jalapeños.
• Next, place in the broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
• Carefully remove and arrange on serving tray. Serve warn.
• Optional: garnish with sour cream and sliced green onions, if desired.

Try These Delicious Loaded Potato Skins Today

And, here are a few more delicious recipes that can be found on the blog:

These delicious Potatoes Green Beans and Sausage, from Deliciously Seasoned, are a great side dish or dinner recipe the whole family might enjoy.

Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.

Enjoy, Terri

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