Loaded Potato Skins

Loaded Potato Skins are surprisingly easy and fun to make at home, and I have oven and air fryer instructions for you.

Crispy potato skins are baked or air fried, then topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions. This is a great appetizer for your next party, happy hour, or game day gathering.

Freaky Friday

I’m very excited to be participating in this fall 2021 edition of Freaky Friday, an old-fashioned blog hop, with this wonderful recipe for Potato Skins from Aunt Bee’s Recipes, and this recipe is perfect for any tailgate or football watching party!

Make sure you scroll down and see all the wonderful and talented blogs involved in this blog hop!

Check out some of my other Freaky Friday recipes that are great game day appetizers: Red Pepper Feta Dip, Shrimp Dip, and Pineapple Serrano Hummus.

And, as always, thanks to Michaela of An Affair from the Heart for hosting this fun event.

We appreciate your support

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask. The comments can be easily found using the orange circle on the lower left, then Join the discussion!

Tailgating Snacks month

So, I’m combining two special events into this one delicious post for a snack or appetizer that everyone will love. Tailgating Snacks Month 2021 is on!

I’ve made my potato skins either regular loaded with bacon for meat eaters. You can make them vegetarian by leaving the bacon off, or by using one of those {affiliate link} “bacos” type of toppings. Those toppings are vegetarian surprisingly enough. And, I found it to be quite delicious!

Favorite appetizers / game day foods / snacks

Potato Skins may just be the perfect party food. They’re inexpensive to make, can be made ahead, full of flavor, and they’re topped with all your favorite things.

Serve these your next tailgating party alongside Air Fryer Mozzarella bites, Air Fryer Mac & cheese eggrolls, Cheesy Shrimp Dip, and Skillet Pull-Apart Pretzel Buns with Creamy Cheese Dip for the perfect party spread!

Are potato skins good for you?

Well, maybe I won’t say they are good for you, but the skin of the potato has a lot of nutritional value, including fiber and antioxidants.

And, these potato skins are baked or air fried so they are way better for you than a deep-fried restaurant version. I actually think that the homemade ones are way tastier too, because they aren’t as greasy.

Aunt Bee’s Recipes

Aunt Bee’s Recipes is written by Brandi, who is just the cutest little Southern girl I know! And, I’m actually surprised that this is the first time I’ve cooked from her blog for Freaky Friday because we have both been participating for years!

Now, I have made other things from her blog just for dinner at our house. And her Sour Cream Noodle Bake is so good; you must try it!

Some of her other recipes that I want to make are her Fried Mac & Cheese Balls, Three cheese jalapeño poppers, and Crack Bread.  

You’ll love her wit and her food! In her about page she declares that she, “quickly figured out that a way to a southern man’s heart, was through his belly!” I mean, that right there tells you that she’s all about the yummy food.

Do yourself a favor, and hop over and give her recipes a try!

Pro tips on how to make the best potato skins

Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use for potato skins. They have nice firm skin that doesn’t fall apart when baked and scooped. When buying the potatoes from the store, keep in mind that the bigger the potato, the longer the baking time.

You’ll start by poking holes in the potatoes to allow some of the moisture to escape as they bake, and to avoid explosions!

Next rub the potatoes with oil before baking or air frying them, which keeps the skins as dry and crisp as possible. Skip wrapping in foil, because this actually steams the potato resulting in a softer skin.

To check for doneness, slide a fork into the potato; if it slides in and out easily, the potato is done.

After the whole potatoes are cooked, and cooled a bit, you’ll need to slice them. I found that a {affiliate link} serrated knife works best, as it’s less likely to rip the skins than a chef’s knife can.

After slicing the potatoes open, make a border about ¼-inch away from the edge of the potato with the tip of a spoon or with a paring knife. The border will help get nice clean edges for the potato skins, so that pieces don’t break off.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and reserve the flesh for mashed potatoes, Savory mashed potato puffs, or Potato and veggie fritters.

Use about ½ piece of thick cut bacon per potato skin, but more or less as you prefer. And, it’s about ½ teaspoon “bacos” per potato skin, or more or less as you see fit.

Oven baked potato skins

There are detailed instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below. Make sure to scroll down to see it.

Poke holes with a fork into each potato, and rub them with oil. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake until the skins are crisp and inside is tender.

Slice each potato in half lengthwise. I learned as I made these that a serrated knife made it really easy to slice right through the potato.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼-inch intact, reserve the flesh for another use.

Brush the skin side of the potatoes with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Broil the skin side until crisp.

Flip potatoes over and brush the insides with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the insides face up under the broiler for a about 5 minutes until the edges just start to brown.

Fill each potato skin with cheese and crumbled bacon. Place back in the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Air fryer potato skins

Poke holes into each potato several times with a fork. Rub oil all over each potato. Place the potatoes in the {affiliate link} air fryer and cook until the skins are crisp and inside is tender.

Slice each potato in half lengthwise with a serrated knife.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼-inch intact, reserve the flesh for another use.

You can see in the picture on the right (above), that I drew a border around the inside of the potato where I was going to scoop out the flesh. This helps keep it from breaking apart as you scoop.

Brush the skin side and the inside of the potatoes with melted butter and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin side down in the air fryer until the edges just start to brown.

Fill each skin with cheese and crumbled bacon. Place back in the air fryer at until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Toppings for Baked Potato Skins

These loaded skins are filled with the classic cheese, bacon, and sour cream toppings, but don’t let that stop you. These skins are great when filled with all kinds of goodies!

• Fill them with chili and cheese
• Leftover crock pot carne asada, cilantro, and cotija make for a fantastic Mexican potato skin
• Make a restaurant inspired stuffed skin with Mac & Cheese, BBQ sauce, and Cheese sauce
• Add some roasted chicken, Buffalo sauce, and blue cheese sauce
• Steamed broccoli and cheese
• Make them garlicky by sprinkling garlic powder on the oil rubbed potatoes and add some pressed garlic to the melted butter
• Or, make a pizza stuffed potato skin by adding pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms

Can Potato Skins Be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, they sure can be made ahead of time!

You can bake the potatoes and scoop them out, allow the skins to cool completely and place them in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 days.

The bacon can be cooked ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Shred the cheese and chop the green onions up to 2 days ahead of time, too, refrigerating them until needed.

When it comes time to make the loaded skins, brush the butter on, and pop them in the oven or air fryer. Then proceed with filling and baking.

The prepped potato skins can also be frozen for longer storage. Let them cool completely and place them in a freezer safe airtight container or ziptop bag. They’ll keep for several months in the freezer. Bake these potato skins right from frozen, no need to defrost first.

Leftover stuffed potato skins? Well, that’s a great problem to have! Scoop out any sour cream and pop them in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat them, reheat them in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes, or air fryer for 2-5 minutes.

2021 Freaky Friday Fall Edition Recipes

• An Affair from the Heart – Pumpkin Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
• Aunt Bee’s Recipes – 30 Minute Skillet Lasagna
• The Carefree Kitchen – Brazilian Cheese Bread
• Devour Dinner – Instant Pot Applesauce
• Fresh April Flours – Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• The Fresh Cooky – Air Fryer Ravioli
• The Foodie Affair – Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Recipe
• Hostess at Heart – Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookie Recipe
• House of Nash Eats – Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Halloween Monster Cookie Recipe
• Lemoine Family Kitchen – Creamy Vegetable Gnocchi Soup
• Life, Love & Good Food – Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• The Speckled Palate – Tortellini Butternut Squash Pasta with Pancetta and Spinach
• Sue Bee Homemaker – Overnight Sourdough Bread
• Take Two Tapas – Air Fryer Asparagus Fries

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Loaded Potato Skins Recipe

Loaded Potato Skins

Debi

Crispy potato skins are baked or air fried, then topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions. This is a great appetizer for your next party, happy hour, or game day gathering.

5 from 19 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Resting time 10 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 158 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 Russet potatoes scrubbed clean and dried
• vegetable oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Chopped green onions

Instructions

 

Oven instructions:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 400° F.
• Poke holes into each potato several times with a fork. Rub oil all over each potato. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake until the skins are crisp and inside is tender, about 50 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes. Set the oven to broil.
• Slice each potato in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼-inch intact, reserve the flesh for another use. Brush the skin side of the potatoes with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until skin starts to crisp. Flip potatoes over and brush the insides with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the insides under the broiler for a about 5 minutes until the edges just start to brown.
• Fill each potato skin with cheese and crumbled bacon. Place back in the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 5 minutes, keep a close eye on it. Remove from the broiler and top each with sour cream and green onions. Serve immediately.

Air Fryer instructions:

• Preheat the air fryer to 400° F.
• Poke holes into each potato several times with a fork. Rub oil all over each potato. Place the potatoes in the air fryer and cook until the skins are crisp and inside is tender, about 50 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Slice each potato in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼-inch intact, reserve the flesh for another use. Brush the skin side and the inside of the potatoes with melted butter and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin side down in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400° F until the edges just start to brown.
• Fill each skin with cheese and crumbled bacon. Place back in the air fryer at 400° F until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 2-5 minutes, keep a close eye on it. Remove from the air fryer and top each with sour cream and green onions. Serve immediately.

Notes

Leftovers can be reheated in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes, or air fryer at 400°F for 2-5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 106mgPotassium: 458mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 186IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword loaded, potato, skins

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