Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (2024)

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Easy Potato Skins aren’t just a diner favorite. They are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as an appetizer for your next get-together.

Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (1)

Easy Potato Skins are filled with bacon, cheese, sour cream and green onions. To say the least, these bad boys don’t skimp on flavor.

When I whip up my homemade gnocchi, I always save the skins for later to make this recipe. I mean, why waste it?!

My family goes CRAZY for good and crispy potato skins. I would even go as far to say that we prefer the skin over the starchy innards. Especially when said skin is flavored with luscious bacon fat. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get it!

Quick Overview on Making Easy Potato Skins

  • Season your potatoes with sea salt olive oil. Bake them.
  • Allow them to cool, cut them in half and scoop out the insides. Place the skins on a baking sheet.
  • Dice green onion and set aside.
  • Chop up your bacon and pan fry it until crispy.
  • Fill each one with bacon and shredded cheese.
  • Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 ℉ for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
  • Remove from the oven and top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions.
Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (2)

Best Potatoes for the Potato Skins

Hands down, russet potatoes are the best spud for potato skins. They have a thicker skin and tend to have a perfect shape for stuffing. Just remember to save the potato innards to make homemade gnocchi, mashed potatoes or piroshki.

How to Serve Potato Skins

  • Guacamole – Add some fresh, creamy fat to the skins by also scoping on a dollop of guacamole.
  • Salsa – Black bean and corn salsa is a great sidekick. You get a nice pop of citrusy, tomato flavor that makes them feel like a well-rounded meal.
  • 15-Minute Avocado Hummus – At first glance, this might seem like a strange recommendation. But trust me, a dollop of avocado hummus just works!

Different Variations of Potato Skins

  • Instant Pot Chili – Stuff your potato skins with chili and cheddar cheese. Once you take them out of the oven, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions.
  • Mexican-Style – Swap the pepper in this recipe for a potato skin. YUM!
  • Cheesesteak – Same goes as above — swap the pepper for a potato skin and enjoy this classic sando in a fun, new way.

Make Potato Skins Ahead of Time

If you are making your potato skins for a party, you likely want to prep as much as you can ahead of time. Bake your potatoes, scoop out the filling and have the skins ready to stuff.

In fact, it’s even better to prepare the skins early because they will harden a bit as they sit in the fridge, making them sturdier. Only stuff and bake right before you plan on serving them!

Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (3)

A Few More Appetizers

Throwing a party and looking to add a couple of other crowd-pleasers to your spread?

  • Crab Stuffed Mushrooms – These mushrooms are stuffed to the gills with crab, cream cheese and the perfect seasoning.
  • Grape Jelly Meatballs – Yes, you read right — grape jelly meatballs! These sweet and savory treats will disappear as fast as you can make them.
  • Smoked Oysters with Spicy Miso Butter – Grab the freshest oysters you can get your hands on. This recipe never disappoints.

Recipe

Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy)

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Servings

16 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Easy Potato Skins aren’t just a diner favorite. They are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as an appetizer for your next get-together.

Ingredients

  • 8 medium potatoes
  • 2 cup cheese Cheddar Jack or Mozzarella
  • 4 scallions
  • 12 oz bacon
  • 1 cup sour cream

US UnitsMetric

Instructions

  • Bake potatoes at 400 °F, for about an hour. Spoon out the inside (you can use it for gnocchi, mashed potatoes or dumplings filled with potatoes). Place skins on a baking sheet.

  • Dice scallions and set aside. Slice bacon into small pieces and cook on a frying pan until crispy.

  • Fill each potato skin with bacon and shredded cheese. Bake at 400 °F for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.

  • Top each one with scallions and a dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 174 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Cholesterol 36mg12%

Sodium 240mg10%

Potassium 84mg2%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 269IU5%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 121mg12%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Easy Potato Skins Recipe (So Crispy) (2024)

FAQs

Why aren't my baked potatoes crispy? ›

If you oil them up early, the skins may not turn crispy. The salt, too, can run off the potatoes in the heat. Instead, do a quick oil baste after the potatoes reach 205°F: Remove the pan from the oven. Brush with olive oil (or bacon grease if you have it) and a hefty sprinkle of kosher salt.

Are crispy potato skins good for you? ›

Baked potato skin is a great source of potassium and magnesium. When you don't have enough potassium in your diet, your body retains extra sodium, and too much sodium raises your blood pressure. A potassium-rich diet can help decrease blood pressure, protecting the heart and reducing the risk of stroke.

What are the directions for frozen potato skins? ›

To heat and serve: Defrost the potato skins before using. Place them on a baking tray and cook in a preheated 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until they're slightly crisp and heated all the way through.

How do you cook farm rich potato skins? ›

Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange product in a single layer on baking sheet and place on middle rack of oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes (half of box) or 16-18 minutes (full box).

What makes a potato crisp? ›

Cooking at a farily constant and high oil temperature, around 350°F/[177°C], heats the slices so rapidly that the starch granules and cell walls have little chance to absorb any mositure before they're dessicated and done, in 3–4 minutes. The texture is therefore delicately crisp and fine-grained.

How do you keep potatoes crispy? ›

Keep potatoes crisp in a warm oven if you're serving them in 1-2 hours. If there is a slight wait before everyone eats, don't cover the crispy potatoes—this traps steam which will make the potatoes soggy. Just keep them in the oven, but turn the temperature to the lowest setting.

When should you not eat potato skin? ›

Light exposure can cause a potato's skin cells to produce chlorophyll. The chlorophyll then causes the skin to turn green and helps the potato get ready to sprout. Light also activates the skin cells to produce solanine, a glycoalkaloid toxin, which has a bitter taste.

Are potatoes good for diabetics? ›

Potatoes and diabetes. Share on Pinterest In moderation, a person with diabetes may eat potatoes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend eating starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, as part of a healthful diet. Starch is a complex carbohydrate that takes the body longer to break down than simple sugars.

Are potatoes bad for cholesterol? ›

Potatoes are rich in soluble fibre, which can be consumed by high cholesterol patients without any confusion. Consuming potatoes not only maintains the cholesterol level, but the body also gets many health benefits.

How long do I cook frozen potato skins in the oven? ›

Transfer frozen potato skins to a freezer bag to store up to 6 months. To reheat from frozen: Microwave two potato skins for 1.5 minutes. Air fryer potato skins at 325°F for 5 minutes. Bake potato skins at 350°F for 10 minutes.

What temperature do you cook frozen potato skins in the oven? ›

Bake at 400 F degrees for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Should I thaw frozen potatoes before cooking? ›

Just one golden rule to remember: you don't usually need to defrost your frozen potatoes before you cook them up again, so in most of the methods and recipes below, they're ready to use straight from frozen. All you'll need to get started is some space in your freezer, resealable bags and a little patience.

Why are my potato skins tough? ›

Rough or scaly skin on potatoes is common with potatoes that have been overwatered. You're familiar with the eyes on potato skins, but the skin on a potato also has pores, called lenticels. These lenticels can swell, and the skin can blister when the growing conditions are kept wet.

Do you eat the skin on potato skins? ›

Eat the skin to capture all the russet potatoes nutrition. The potato skin has more nutrients than the interior of the potato. It has lots of fiber, about half of a medium potato's fiber is from the skin. Baked Idaho® Potato with salsa makes for a low calorie healthy lunch, try it!

Should you wash potato skins? ›

If you plan on peeling your potatoes, washing them before peeling is essential for preventing cross-contamination. Otherwise, contaminants from the skin can get on your hands, vegetable peeler, and cutting surface, potentially ending up on your peeled potato and other food you're prepping.

Why are my potatoes soggy and not crispy? ›

Roasted potatoes can become soggy if the water content in the potato isn't fully cooked. Different potatoes have different water content percentages. Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy.

Why are my potatoes still hard after cooking? ›

Next time you find your spuds refusing to soften, whether simmered with tomatoes, cooked with a lemon marinade, or stewed in a vinegary sauce—it's probably not the potatoes at fault. Give them a par-boil in good old salted water first, before you dress them in that tart, mouth-puckering acid.

Why do some baked potatoes stay hard? ›

The potato may be too big: If the potato is too large, it will take longer to bake all the way through. It's best to choose potatoes that are similar in size, around 6-8 ounces each. The oven temperature may be too low: If the oven temperature is too low, the potato will take longer to cook.

Why are my baked potatoes soggy? ›

However, if moisture is trapped inside the skin, it can make the potato quite soggy. Piercing the skin of the potato before cooking creates escape routes for interior moisture. Potatoes that stand for long periods after baking also tend to be soggier than those served immediately.

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