Loaded Baked Potato Skins

Loaded baked potato skins are a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Thick with potatoes, brushed with seasoned butter, and baked to a perfect crisp. Topped with salty bacon, tangy sour cream, melted cheddar cheese, and green onions or chives, this recipe is a winner!

Course Appetizers, Sides

Cuisine American

Recipe Type Bacon, Christmas, Fall, Football Food, New Year's Eve, Party, Potatoes, Sheet Pan Meals, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving

Skill Level Easy

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 1 20

Servings Servings

Calories 596kcal

Author Angela G.

Equipment

Ingredients

5 baking potatoes (russets) washed and dried
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup bacon bits
4 oz sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Scrub and dry potatoes. Poke each potato with a fork to vent.
Bake for 45 minutes then allow potatoes to cool until safe to touch. Cut in half (lengthwise) and spoon out almost all the inside leaving about ¼ - ½ inch border along the skin. Place the hollowed-out skins back on the baking sheet, inside up.
Brush with butter. Melt unsalted butter in a small pot or microwavable bowl. Add sea salt, dried parsley and garlic powder to butter. Brush the inside of hollowed potato skins.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes, face down.
Carefully flip potatoes over and fill each evenly with cheese and bacon. Bake for another 2-3 minutes to fully melt the cheese, if needed.
Remove from oven and top each with a dollop of sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with green onions or chives then serve hot.

Notes

Use a small melon scoop to easily remove inside of potatoes.
Lightly scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt from the skin before baking.
If using salted butter, you may only want to add a small pinch of sea salt.
Venting your potatoes will release any pressure that might build up while baking. This prevents potatoes from exploding!
Be sure to dry potatoes well after washing.
Don't overcook the potatoes or they can become gluey. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. You want it to be at least 205˚ and not above 210°F.

Nutrition