These Loaded Baked Potato Skins are the most delicious appetizer! They're crispy, brushed with garlic butter then loaded with bacon, cheese and chives. We're pairing them with a homemade ranch dressing for the ultimate match up. Get ready for some serious flavor.
I can't believe I'm writing this recipe 4 years after starting my blog. I love potato skins and they have always been one of my favorite appetizers. I don't know how it's taken this long to write this recipe.
These are restaurant quality (maybe even better) and will be a huge hit. My family made them disappear in minutes. I only got one..not cool man!
For more of my popular appetizer recipes, try these Bacon Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Pizza Dip, Sausage Rotel dip, Pepperoni Pizza Subs, and Turkey Cheese Roll Ups.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Big on Flavor. Crispy baked goodness topped with cheese and bacon, then dunked in ranch dressing. How can you say no to that?
- Easy to Make. Simple step by step instructions make these really easy to make.
- Low effort. The oven does most of the work in this recipe with the majority of the time spent baking the potatoes.
- Football Favorite. This is hands down the best recipe for game day!
For the ultimate game day eats, pair these Crispy Potato Skins with these Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings, Pepperoni Pizza Rolls, or Roast Beef Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls.
Ingredients:
Potatoes: Russets are a must for this recipe for their thick skin. If you use another variety it will be hard to fill them properly after scooping out the centers.
Bacon: I suggest using a traditional or original bacon so that it tastes good paired with the cheddar cheese. I wouldn't use a maple bacon, etc.
Yogurt: The Fage brand is my favorite for ranch dressing because it's really thick and creamy. Plus, you can just buy one small 5 ounce container for this recipe.
*For the full recipe ingredients and quantities, visit the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- If you have vegetarians eating over, just leave a few bacon free. You can also brush the outsides of the potatoes with olive oil instead of bacon grease and then salt.
- Want them a little spicy? Use 1 cup pepper jack cheese and 1 cup cheddar.
- I don't recommend using another potato in place of the russets. The skin is thicker and holds its shape really well.
- Don't want to make Ranch? You can use a store bought version instead.
- Equipment Substitution: You can use an immersion blender or regular blender instead of the food processor for the ranch dressing.
- For the ranch, the greek yogurt can be substituted with sour cream.
Love Loaded Recipes? Try my Loaded Tater Tots and Loaded Baked Potato Soup too!
How to Make Baked Potato Skins:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a skillet on the stovetop to medium low heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the bacon grease in a bowl. Prepare 4 large pieces of tin foil to wrap the potatoes in. Brush each potato with bacon grease, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in a foil piece. Place all the foil wrapped potatoes on a cookie and bake for 55-60 minutes until tender.
Step 2: While the potatoes are baking, make the homemade ranch by adding yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, milk, 1 clove minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, dried dill, fresh parsley and chives into a food processor. Blend on high for 30 seconds, then pulse about 10 times quickly. Pour into a container, then refrigerate until serving.
Step 3: Once the potatoes are baked, carefully unwrap them from the foil and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes. In a small skillet over medium low heat, melt the butter, then add the 2 remaining cloves of minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Slice the potatoes in half, then scoop out the center. You want to leave enough inside to where the skin is still really stable. Basically, you want it like a stable bowl that you can fill with toppings. Place the halved scooped potatoes back on the cookie sheet and brush the insides with garlic butter. Return to the middle portion of the oven to get crispy for about 12-18 minutes. We're looking for golden brown edges, but not burnt garlic. Once they're crispy, remove from the oven and top with cheddar cheese, then our reserved bacon. Bake for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is gooey and melted.
Step 5: Top the potato skins with remaining 1 tablespoon of chives. Grab the ranch from the fridge and give it a quick stir before serving next to the potato skins. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Shred the cheese from a block for the best melt. Bagged cheese doesn't melt well because of the anti-caking agents.
- Bake the potatoes until tender, but not too long to where they are breaking apart too easy. You want them to keep their shape well (not shriveled up). I found this was about 55-60 minutes.
- If the ranch is too thin, simply whisk in another tablespoon of mayonnaise or yogurt until you get the desired consistency. If it's too thick, add in a tiny splash of milk and whisk.
For more football food, check out this list of recipes to make for Super Bowl Sunday!
More Game Day Appetizers:
Recipe
Loaded Baked Potato Skins
- Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 large potato skins 1x
Description
These Loaded Baked Potato Skins are the most delicious appetizer! They're crispy, brushed with garlic butter then loaded with bacon, cheese and chives. We're pairing them with a homemade ranch dressing for the ultimate match up. Get ready for some serious flavor.
Ingredients
Loaded Potato Skins:
- 8 slices of tradition bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces + reserved bacon grease
- 4 medium to large sized russet potatoes, washed and dried
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded from the block
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
Homemade Ranch:
- 5 ounces 2% plain greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preference for Hellmann's mayo
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons distilled or white vinegar
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a skillet on the stovetop to medium low heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve the bacon grease in a bowl. Prepare 4 large pieces of tin foil to wrap the potatoes in. Brush each potato with bacon grease, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in a foil piece. Place all the foil wrapped potatoes on a cookie and bake for 55-60 minutes until tender.
- While the potatoes are baked, make the homemade ranch by adding yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, milk, 1 clove minced garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, dried dill, fresh parsley and chives into a food processor. Blend on high for 30 seconds, then pulse about 10 times quickly. Pour into a container, then refrigerate until serving.
- Once the potatoes are baked, carefully unwrap them from the foil and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes. In a small skillet over medium low heat, melt the butter, then add the 2 remaining cloves of minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Slice the potatoes in half, then scoop out the center. You want to leave enough inside to where the skin is still really stable. Basically, you want it like a stable bowl that you can fill with toppings. Place the halved scooped potatoes back on the cookie sheet and brush with garlic butter. Return to the middle portion of the oven to get crispy for about 12-18 minutes. We're looking for golden brown edges, but not burnt garlic. Once they're crispy, remove from the oven and top with cheddar cheese, then our reserved bacon. Bake for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is gooey and melted.
- Top the potato skins with remaining 1 tablespoon of chives. Grab the ranch from the fridge and give it a quick stir before serving next to the potato skins. Enjoy!
Notes
- Shred the cheese from a block for the best melt. Bagged cheese doesn't melt well because of the anti-caking agents.
- Bake the potatoes until tender, but not too long to where they are breaking apart too easy. You want them to keep their shape well (not shriveled up). I found this was about 55-60 minutes.
- If the ranch is too thin, simply whisk in another tablespoon of mayonnaise or yogurt until you get the desired consistency. If it's too thick, add a tiny splash of milk and whisk.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: oven baked
- Cuisine: American
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