Description
Crispy, cheesy potato skins loaded with bacon and green onions make a perfect appetizer or snack. These baked potato skins feature a flavorful seasoned butter coating and a melty Colby Jack cheese topping, served with cool sour cream for dipping.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes
- 6 small Russet Baking Potatoes (or 5 large potatoes)
Butter Mixture
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Toppings
- 6 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- 2 Tablespoons green onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
Serving
- Sour Cream (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the potatoes.
- Prepare the potatoes: Clean the outside of the potatoes thoroughly and prick each potato about five times with a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Bake the potatoes: Place the potatoes directly on the middle oven rack and bake for 40-50 minutes (longer for larger potatoes) until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cool and halve: Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool enough to handle safely. Cut each potato in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the flesh: Using a spoon, carefully remove some of the potato inside, leaving a ¼ to ½ inch thick shell to prevent collapse during baking.
- Make the butter mixture: In a small bowl, melt the butter and stir in dried parsley, seasoned salt, and garlic powder until well combined.
- Brush the potato skins: Use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each potato skin evenly with the seasoned butter mixture.
- Bake skin side down: Arrange the potato skins on a baking sheet with the inside facing down and bake in the 425-degree oven for 15 minutes to crisp the skins.
- Flip and continue baking: Flip each potato skin over using tongs and bake for an additional 5 minutes to crisp the insides.
- Add toppings: Remove skins from the oven and evenly distribute the shredded cheese and crumbled bacon over each skin.
- Melt the cheese: Return the potato skins to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Finish and serve: Remove from oven, sprinkle sliced green onions on top, and serve warm with sour cream for dipping.
Notes
- Use Russet potatoes for the best texture and crispiness.
- Make sure not to scoop the potato shells too thin to prevent breaking.
- Bacon can be substituted with vegetarian bacon for a vegetarian version, though it will no longer be strictly vegetarian if cheese is included.
- For extra crispiness, bake the skins on a wire rack set over the baking sheet.
- These potato skins can be made ahead and reheated in the oven.
