Jan 2009

Potato Skins

Potato skins are one of a few all-American dishes in my family’s repertoire of recipes. Sometime in the mid-eighties, my aunt Thao sampled T.G.I. Friday’s “loaded potato skins” and wanted to recreate the magic at home. This recipe is the result of a lot of trial and error, and adjusting for personal tastes. Potato skins are prepared every year by my mother on Christmas Eve.

  • 6 small to medium red skin potatoes (total 3 pounds)
  • 6 strips of bacon
  • 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced, using only the greens of the onions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Scrub the potatoes clean then cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin. Set aside.

Cut the bacon strips vertically into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a frying pan on medium low heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until bacon is halfway cooked. Drain and set aside.

Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on a roasting pan or broiler pan, and fill with the partially cooked bacon. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the potatoes are tender and starting to golden.

Remove the bacon-filled potato skins from the oven and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Return the potato skins to the oven for an additional five minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the potatoes with the green onions. Return the potato skins to the oven for another five minutes.

Serve the potato skins immediately with sour cream, ranch dressing, or my family’s favorite, Sriracha hot sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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10 thoughts on “Potato Skins

  1. Made these last night–added a little blue cheese however. Because blue cheese and bacon are never wrong. Thanks for the recipe.

  2. Hi,
    Ur potato skins lokks awesome and so yummy tht i wanna try to make some myself asap!:)

    Can u advise – after scrubbing potatoes n cutting into halves, we scoop the insides …. ( potato is still raw, not cooked yet at this stage?? )

    Thks n regards,
    Susanna,
    Perth, Australia

  3. Susanna – You are exactly right. The potatoes are still raw when the insides are scooped out. A metal spoon should do the job nicely. Don’t get frustrated if the potato accidentally tears. It’s happened to the best of us. Good luck.

  4. Thks for the quick reply and info! 🙂
    I LOVE reading ur blog…so interesting n fabulous food pics!

    Susanna

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