These oven-baked potato skins are forever a classic party appetizer, especially for game day! Each skin is crispy, cheesy, and topped with crispy bacon, cool sour cream, and fresh green onion.
Why You’ll Love These Potato Skins
If ever there was a classic game day appetizer, it’s these potato skins! They’re sooo hard to resist and the perfect bite of crispy, cheesy goodness. To say they get devoured immediately would be an understatement! I also like to think of them as mini twice-baked potatoes, as they’re almost identical in terms of ingredients, yet these are unfilled and crispier. But that just means I get to repurpose the scooped-out insides into mashed potatoes for the week. The best two-in-one situation! You’ll also love that they’re:
- A no-fail appetizer. These rank right up there with my air fryer chicken wings, jalapeño poppers, and 7-layer dip as a Super Bowl snack favorite.
- Easily customizable. I’m keeping things classic with bacon, sour cream, and green onion, but there are so many fun ways to make them your own (more on that below).
- Easy to make. The oven does most of the work, and the rest is easy to assemble.
Potato Skins Ingredients
- Small russet potatoes: Russets are ideal here because the skin crisps up well and becomes sturdy enough to hold all the toppings. Try to choose potatoes that are quite small (better for finger food!) and similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Melted butter: Brushing the skins with melted butter makes them extra golden and crispy. You can also use olive oil if that’s what you have on hand.
- Seasoning: A simple mix of garlic powder, salt, and black pepper adds just enough flavor without overpowering the toppings.
- Cheddar cheese: I love using freshly grated sharp cheddar for the best melt and flavor, but a cheddar blend works great too.
- Bacon: Crispy, crumbled bacon adds that salty, smoky bite.
- Sour cream & green onion (for serving): These classic toppings add freshness and balance to all the richness.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Potato Skins
Step one: Bake the potatoes. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, place them on a baking sheet, and bake for about 1 hour, or until tender. Let them cool until they’re easy to handle.
Step two: Scoop out the potatoes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out most of the flesh, leaving about a ¼-inch border so the skins stay sturdy.
Step three: Season and crisp. Turn the oven to broil and position the rack about 6 inches from the heat. Brush the inside and outside of the potato skins with melted butter, then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly golden and crispy.
Step four: Add the filling. Remove the skins from the oven and sprinkle each one with cheese and bacon.
Step five: Broil again. Return to the oven and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Then, dollop with sour cream and finish with sliced green onions right before serving.
Potato Skin Flavor Combinations
- Buffalo chicken: I love tossing shredded chicken in buffalo sauce, piling it onto the crispy skins with plenty of cheese, then finishing them with a drizzle of ranch dressing.
- BBQ chicken: Going for sweet and smoky? Load them up with shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, sharp cheddar, a little red onion, and freshly chopped cilantro!
- Greek-Inspired: Because I love adding a fresh Mediterranean twist on things, this has become a favorite! Add crumbled feta, chopped olives, diced cherry tomatoes, and a dollop of tzatziki sauce.
- Pizza Style: This variation is great for kids! Add mozzarella instead of cheddar, and top it with pepperoni (or cooked Italian sausage bits) and a drizzle of marinara sauce.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
Potato skins are best enjoyed fresh and hot, but leftovers still store well. Once cooled, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them back in the oven or air fryer until warmed through and crispy again. This helps revive the crispy texture much better than the microwave.
If you want to get ahead, you can bake and scoop the potatoes a day in advance, then store the skins covered in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, just crisp, fill, and broil for an easy, stress-free appetizer.
More Appetizer Ideas
- Ultimate Nachos: These are loaded with the best toppings!
- Cowboy Caviar: Always a refreshing party side.
- Best Ever Guacamole: A must-make for parties.
- Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip: A game day favorite!
If you try this potato skins recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 small Russet potatoes, washed/scrubbed and patted dry
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- 1 ¼ cups grated cheddar cheese
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- for serving: sour cream and sliced green onions
Instructions
- Bake the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce the potatoes with a fork, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let them cool to the touch.
- Scoop out potatoes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out some of the potato flesh, leaving about ¼-inch thickness around the skin.
- Season the potatoes. Turn the oven to broil and place the rack about 6 inches below the broiler. Brush the potatoes with butter both on the outside and inside. Place them on a baking sheet and season with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until slightly golden and crispy.
- Add filling. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add a sprinkle of cheese and bacon to each potato.
- Broil again. Place the potatoes back in the oven, and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Add garnishes and serve. Before serving, dollop with sour cream and garnish with sliced green onion.
Lisa’s Tips
- Serving size is two potato skin halves.
- Storage and make-ahead tip: Store leftover potato skins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop them back in the oven or air fryer until hot and crispy. You can also bake and scoop the potatoes ahead of time, then finish crisping and topping them just before serving.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
As you can see in the photo above, when I was testing this recipe I couldn’t decide on chopped chives or green onions for the garnish. Both are delish and either one works, so it’s entirely up to you! In fact, I had to keep eating them over and over in order to decide (aka my excuse for eating way more than I should have that day, lol).
Just loving your recipes. Made the potato skins last night and before I could photograph them they were gone. Am going to do your charcuterie board for my grandsons 21st and a couple of the dips . Awesome, easy to follow recipes. Thank you for coming into my kitchen.
I’m so glad these potato skins were such a hit, Gill!
Has anyone tried freezing these? If so, could you share reheating instructions?
I love to have some made ahead appetizers in the freezer for quick snacks or dinners. I’m thinking these with a garden salad would be great for dinner.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Maria – yes, you can definitely freeze these! Just make sure to not add any sour cream, until they’re reheated. You can reheat them in the microwave for about a minute or in the oven at 350F for about 10 tot 15 minutes.
These look amazing. Have a super bowl party every year . Something different but this way we get to see what people like.
Can’t wait for you to serve these, Ethel!
Everyone in my family loved the potato skins and the dollop of sour cream was optional, of course, but not for me! Yum! Yum!
I watched them very carefully under the broiler because things can get out of hand pretty quick if you don’t so don’t get distracted!!! Mine only took a couple of minutes to crisp up!
Thank you.
Amazing! Happy to hear these potato skins were such a hit, Linda. And yes, be careful with the broiler!
What do you do with the unused potato?
I use it to make mashed potatoes!