Crispy Potato Skins with Cheddar and Bacon
Twice-baked russet shells with crackly edges and fluffy interiors, loaded with sharp cheddar and crumbled bacon, broiled until bubbly, and finished with cool sour cream and green onions. The ultimate game-day finger food.
- Prep
- 34 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 13 min
- Wait
- 27 min
- Total
- 2 hr 14 min
- Makes
- 8 potato skins (4 servings of 2)
Steps
Before you start
- Choose 4 large russet (Idaho) potatoes of similar size, 10 to 12 oz (285 to 340 g) each. Their thick skin and dry, fluffy flesh make sturdy, crisp shells, and this size leaves enough wall to scoop.
- Shred the cheddar yourself from a block if you can. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and melts less smoothly.
- Plan about 2¼ hours total (134 minutes), most of it hands-off baking. The potatoes can be baked a day ahead (see Make Ahead).
- Set one oven rack in the middle and one in the lowest position. Remove any other racks. The broiler must be in the same oven.
Prep the potatoesOven 400°F / 205°C
- Place one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the lowest position, then heat the oven to 400°F (200°C); preheating takes about 10 minutes.
- Scrub the potatoes and dry them completely.
- Prick each potato 4 to 5 times with a fork.
- Rub with the olive oil and sprinkle all over with 1 tsp of the kosher salt.
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Ready when: Skins look evenly coated with oil and salt, with no wet spots, and the oven has reached temperature.
Tip: Dry skins matter. Any moisture left on the surface steams the skin instead of letting it crisp.
Bake the potatoesOven 400°F / 205°C
- Set the potatoes directly on the middle oven rack, spaced apart.
- Leave the lowest rack empty for now.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 40 minutes.
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Ready when: Skins are taut and starting to wrinkle slightly.
Tip: Baking directly on the rack gives crisper skin than baking on a sheet.
Add the baconOven 400°F / 205°C
- Set the wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and lay the bacon slices on it without overlapping.
- Slide the sheet onto the lowest rack, under the potatoes.
- The rack and sheet catch the bacon fat.
- Bake 20 more minutes at 400°F (200°C), for 60 minutes total for the potatoes.
- If a potato still feels firm, leave the potatoes in up to 10 more minutes after removing the bacon.
- Potato doneness matters more than the clock.
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Ready when: Bacon is deep golden brown and crisp. Potatoes feel soft when squeezed with a towel, or read 205°F (96°C) in the center.
Tip: Check the bacon at 16 minutes, since thickness varies. Take it out as soon as it is crisp.
Cool and crumbleOven 450°F / 230°C
- Move the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Transfer the potatoes to a cutting board.
- Remove the lowest rack and sheet, and move the middle rack up so it sits about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler.
- Set the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Let the potatoes cool for 15 minutes.
- Crumble the cooled bacon into small pieces.
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Ready when: Bacon snaps when bent; potatoes are warm, not hot, to the touch.
Tip: Move the rack with oven mitts, and set it now so you won't have to move it later with a loaded sheet.
Halve and scoop
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a ¼-inch (6 mm) layer of potato attached to the skin so the shells hold their shape.
- Set the flesh aside for another use such as mashed potatoes or hash.
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Ready when: Eight sturdy shells with walls about ¼ inch thick and no holes in the skin.
Tip: Scoop gently. If you go too thin, the skins tear and won't hold the filling.
Brush and season
- Line a baking sheet with parchment, or leave it bare.
- Arrange the shells cut side up.
- Stir the melted butter with the garlic powder, black pepper and the remaining ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Brush it over the inside and the outside of every shell.
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Ready when: Every shell is glossy inside and out.
Tip: Brushing the outside as well as the inside is what makes the skin crackly.
Crisp the shellsOven 450°F / 230°C
- Slide the sheet onto the raised rack and bake the shells cut side up at 450°F (230°C) for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: Edges are deep golden brown and the insides look dry and slightly crisp.
Tip: Don't skip this step. Filling raw shells makes them soft.
Fill with cheese and bacon
- Switch the oven to broil on high.
- Take the sheet out and set it on a heatproof surface.
- Divide the shredded cheddar among the shells, about ¼ cup (28 g) each, then top with the crumbled bacon.
- Return the sheet to the same rack.
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Ready when: Each shell is generously mounded with cheese and bacon.
Tip: The rack is already about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler, which lets the cheese melt before the edges burn.
Broil until bubbly
- Broil on high for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stay at the oven and watch the whole time.
- Broilers vary in strength.
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Ready when: Cheese is fully melted, bubbling and flecked with golden-brown spots.
Tip: Do not walk away. Broilers can take cheese from perfect to burnt in under a minute.
Garnish and serve
- Let the skins rest on the pan for 2 minutes.
- Top each with a spoonful of cold sour cream and sprinkle with the sliced green onions.
- Serve right away while the shells are still crisp.
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Ready when: Cheese is no longer sliding when a skin is lifted.
Good to know
Tips
- Don't wrap potatoes in foil. It traps steam and gives soft, damp skin.
- Save the scooped potato flesh: mash it with butter and milk, or crisp it in a skillet as hash.
- For extra crunch, flip the shells cut side down for the first 5 minutes of crisping, then flip them back up for the last 5.
- Keep sour cream cold and add it only at the end so it doesn't melt into the cheese.
Make ahead
Bake the potatoes up to 1 day ahead, cool completely, and refrigerate whole. Cut, scoop, brush, and crisp them straight from the fridge at 450°F (230°C), adding 2 to 3 extra minutes. The bacon can also be cooked and crumbled a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
Storage & reheating
Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftover assembled skins (without sour cream and green onions) in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 8 to 10 minutes until hot and crisp; avoid the microwave, which makes the skins soft. Unfilled, crisped shells freeze for up to 2 months; fill and bake from frozen at 425°F (220°C) for 12 to 15 minutes.
Substitutions
- sharp cheddar cheese → Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a cheddar-Jack blend. Pepper jack adds mild heat and melts just as well.
- sour cream → plain full-fat Greek yogurt. Slightly tangier and thicker; stir in a pinch of salt.
- unsalted butter → reserved bacon drippings. Use 2 Tbsp, strained, for deeper smoky flavor when brushing the shells.
- green onions → fresh chives. Use the same amount, finely snipped.
