Appetizers · Game Day
The ultimate game day appetizer — crispy potato skins loaded with melted cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream and green onions. Crowd-pleasing, easy, and absolutely irresistible. Follow our tested method and you'll get perfect results every single time.
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Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Rub with oil, season with salt. Bake at 400°F for 45-50 minutes until a knife goes in with zero resistance. Fully cooked inside is essential — undercooked potato = tough skin.
Let cool 10 minutes. Halve each potato lengthwise. Scoop out flesh leaving a 1/4-inch thick shell — not too thin (crumbles) not too thick (soggy). Save the potato flesh for mashed potatoes.
Brush every surface (inside and outside) generously with melted butter mixed with garlic powder and paprika. Place cut-side DOWN on a rack over a baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Flip cut-side UP, bake another 10 minutes.
Fill each skin with cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles. Broil 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly with slightly browned edges.
Top with sour cream, green onions, and any other toppings after broiling. Cold sour cream on hot cheesy potato skins is the classic temperature contrast that makes this dish iconic.
Potato skins are best served immediately from the oven. They hold for 15-20 minutes at 200°F in the oven, but serve as soon as possible for maximum crispiness.
Yes — bake potatoes, scoop and brush with butter, bake crispy, then refrigerate up to 2 days. When ready to serve, fill with cheese and bacon and broil 4-5 minutes until heated and bubbly.
Soft skins come from: not brushing with enough butter, not baking cut-side down first, or potatoes not fully cooked. All three steps are needed: fully cook, brush generously with butter, and double-bake.
Russet potatoes are the only choice. Their thick, starchy skin crisps up beautifully. Waxy potatoes (red, Yukon gold) have thin skins that go limp instead of crispy.
