Loaded Potato Skins with cheese, bacon and chives, a fantastic appetizer for every party or celebration. The potatoes are twice baked to make a perfectly crispy skin, while the filling is fluffy and big on amazing flavours coming from all the ingredients.
With the Super Bowl just round the corner, the hunt for the perfect game day finger food is on. And baked potatoes are not only a super easy choice, but they are also utterly delicious. Bake them twice, and you are in for a treat!
Isn't it extraordinary that the cheapest ingredients give us the best dishes? Bake a few potatoes, mix their filling with a bit of grated cheese, a bit of cooked bacon, some gorgeous fresh chives, and there you go, the best party food.
My choice of filling is just one of the hundreds of combos you could come up with. From vegetarian, to meat-based, even pescatarian, the sky is the limit. You can go for as little or as many ingredients as you wish, there is not right or wrong here.
Ingredients needed
- potatoes
- grated cheddar cheese
- cooked bacon
- chopped chives
- oil - to brush the potatoes
Step-by-step photos and instructions
The size of the potatoes depends entirely on what you have around - the bigger ones will obviously take longer to bake, and the smaller ones could be seen as better party food, but just go with what you have.
- brush the potatoes with oil, and use a fork to prick them all around
- transfer them to a baking tray and bake for 45-50 minutes or until they are soft to touch
- leave them to cool down slightly so they can be easier to handle, then cut them up in half lengthwise, and scoop our the filling, going as close to the potato skin as possible, but try to keep the skin intact
- add half of the potato filling to a bowl together with the grated cheese, chopped bacon and chives, and mix well to combine - I found that I didn't quite need all the filling, but if needed, you can always add more to the mix
- stuff the potato skins, then top with more grated cheese, and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted
Expert tips
This recipe couldn't be simpler, and it's also a great family-friendly choice whenever you are stuck for dinner ideas. Not to mention how cheap it is to make.
Ingredients can be swapped to suit everyone's budget, or whatever there is around. I absolutely love bacon with these baked potatoes, but other great options are ham, leftover chicken, tuna, and pretty much any deli meat you have around.
I like the sharpness of the cheddar cheese, but if you prefer a more gooey texture, mozzarella cheese is a fabulous choice. Or any other cheese you have around.
Chives can be swapped for spring onions or fresh herbs, they bring colour and extra flavour, so they are highly recommended here. Other than that, enjoy, it's such a great recipe!
If you’ve tried my LOADED POTATO SKINS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Loaded Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cooked bacon
- 2 tablespoon chopped chives
- oil to brush the potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
- Brush the potatoes with oil, and use a fork to prick the potatoes in several places.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until they are tender to touch.
- Leave the potatoes to cool for a bit, it will be easier to handle them.
- Cut each potato in half vertically, then use a spoon to scoop out the filling, leaving the skin intact.
- In a bowl, add about half of the potato filling, half of the cheese, then all the bacon and chives.
- Mix well, each stuff each potato half with this filling.
- Top them with the remaining cheese, and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.
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