Serious Potato Skins
Updated Dec. 4, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4Idaho baking potatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 8ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
- 6ounces Cheddar
- 1bunch scallions
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1cup sour cream
- Hot sauce, to taste
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the potatoes lightly with olive oil and bake them on a foil-lined baking sheet until their skins are crisp and a fork easily slides into their flesh, about 1 hour. Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Step 2
While the potatoes are cooking, assemble the toppings. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, then transfer to a small bowl. Reserve the bacon fat. Grate the cheese into a small bowl; you should have about 2 cups. Trim and thinly slice the scallions. (Feeling frisky? Caramelize some onions. Shred some ham or grate some Gruyère.)
- Step 3
Using an oven mitt or a folded kitchen towel to handle the hot potatoes, cut each into quarters lengthwise to create four wedges. Using a small spoon, scoop the flesh from each wedge, leaving ¼ inch or more of the flesh. (Save the scooped potatoes for another use, like potato pancakes or soup.)
- Step 4
Set the oven to broil. Return the wedges to the foil-lined baking sheet. Paint a bit of bacon fat on each, then top with cheese and bacon. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling. Place the skins on a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a teaspoon or so of sour cream on each and scatter the scallions over the plate. Serve with hot sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
My friend the former chef taught me to rub the baking potato with a light coating of bacon fat, then salt and pepper it. I use the applewood-smoked variety. So tasty.
Sam is a way better cook than me, but: If you already have the oven at 400 for an hour, why would you cover the stovetop with bacon fat? Spread the bacon over a foil-lined baking sheet and put it on a rack below the potatoes. Keep an eye on it, the bacon should be done in 15-20 minutes. The foil allows you to save the bacon fat, too. Plus, you just saved energy.
These would be great with some roasted broccoli - we can pretend it's healthy by adding a veggie!
Another app I prepared for a Superbowl party. They were good, but felt like there was an ingredient or 2 missing, even with the bacon and scallions. This is a fairly easy and straightforward app to make, so no complaints. Will find an extra topping or 2 for the next time.
Try to find a bag of russets that are a bit on the smaller side. Just do halves instead of quarters, easier to cut and scoop. When it comes time to scoop, you need to do it while the potato is hot, so you have your tools ready. Two things I wished I had, an oven glove and a proper scooper. A heat insulated glove in order to properly hold the hot potato would've been nice. And, a melon scoop would be the best to remove the desired amount of tater meat. I couldn't find mine, so I used a spoon but it wasn't the best. When you scoop be sure to start shallow and leave enough substance on the skin. I dug a little deep on a few and there was nothing left to really bite into. Have your knife sharpened. Skins can be tough after initial cook. Some of my potatos practically disintegrated under pressure because my knife betrayed me and couldn't complete the cut. If you wait to cook the crispy bacon while the potatos are in their initial baking phase then you will have easily brushable bacon grease ready to spread on your scooped out potato halves. I thought I was being clever by having prepared chopped bacon pieces earlier in the day when cooking a different dish. Then I realized I didn't have the bacon grease ready to spread. Not so clever.
For the bacon: 5 mins in the microwave, between paper towels, gives you crispy bacon, ans you can use the paper towels to grease your potatoes before baking/broiling if you like. Also, you can prepare these in advance of a party up to topping with bacon and cheese—just throw them in the oven at 400 for a bit before you serve.