Potato Skins

I was craving potato skins the other day and decided to tackle making homemade ones. They are delicious, but they are quite time consuming. Definitely not a quick and easy weeknight dinner, but a great option when you're in the mood to cook. The ingredients for this are very simple and can be modified to include or exclude your favorite potato skins toppings. Add more or less of any of the ingredients listed below.

Adapted from Simply Recipes

6 small to medium russet potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper, to season
6 strips bacon
6 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat your over to 400F/200C. Scrub the potatoes, pierce a few times with a fork and rub with olive oil. Bake for about 1 hour, until cooked through.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium low heat. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until crispy (don't under-cook the bacon). Darin the bacon strips on a paper towel. Once they have cooled, crumble the bacon strips.

Once the potatoes have cooked and are cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half horizontally. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the inside of the potato, leaving about 1/4" of the potato on the skin. Reserve the scooped out potatoes for another use (mashed potatoes, croquettes, etc...).

Increase the oven temperature to 450F/232C. Brush the inside and outside of each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put the potatoes on a baking rack in a roasting pan (the high heat will warp a cookie sheet). Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then flip over and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to col until you can handle the potatoes.

Arrange the potatoes on your baking rack so the cut side is facing up and the skin side is down. Sprinkle the inside of each potato with pepper and evenly distribute the cheese and bacon between the potatoes. Broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble. Remove from your oven. Move the potatoes to your serving place. Top each potato with sour cream and green onions. Serve immediately and enjoy when the potatoes have cooled enough to eat. Pin It Now!