Potato Skins

These Potato Skins make a great appetizer or side dish recipe.  The mix of the seasonings, potato and cheese makes this a recipe that will become one of your favorites!

If you like potato skins, you will love these.  And, they are easy to make.  They taste just like the restaurant style potato skins.

These Potato Skins are a favorite side dish in our house.  I love to make them to go with our Crockpot Tomato Vegetable Soup.

Grocery Shopping List:

• potatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese, grated
• garlic powder
• paprika
• taco cheese, shredded
• fresh or dried chives (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

Optional ingredients are chives and sour cream. If you want to jazz up the potato skins, you can use the chives as a garnish. As for the sour cream, some people like to dip their potato skins in sour cream.

Which potatoes are best for this recipe? Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use when making potato skins. They hold up well and won’t fall apart when baked and scooped out.

How to make Potato Skins:

Prepare the Potatoes:

First, bake the potatoes either in the oven or microwave. I prefer the oven because they are a crispier when cooked in the oven. However, cooking them in the microwave might work better for you because they cook quicker that way.

Either way, you will need to prepare the potato the same way before baking them. Prick the potatoes with a fork a several times. Firmly hold the potato on the counter or table while doing this. 

Once you have that done, rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Use enough olive oil to cover each potato.)

If you will be cooking them in the oven:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
• Place the prepared potatoes on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or foil. Bake them at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

If you will be cooking them in the microwave:

• Place prepared potatoes in a microwave safe plate.
• Cook  on full power for five minutes.
• Flip them over and cook an additional five minutes. They will be hot coming out so be careful taking them out. 

Once they are baked, the oven temperature needs to be adjusted from 425 to 475 degrees to bake the potato skins if you bake the potatoes in your oven. If you are using the microwave to bake the potatoes, then preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

How to Assemble the Potato Skins:

While the oven is preheating/adjusting temperatures, let the potatoes sit a few minutes to cool down so you can handle them. While they are cooling, combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl.  Set that aside.

Once the potatoes are slightly cooled, cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the middle of the potatoes so you have about ¼” of potato around the edge. Place the extra potato in a bowl and set aside. Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  

Spread about one teaspoon of the seasoning mixture on both sides of the potato, starting with the inside of the potato first. I pour the seasoning onto the potato and spread it around with either my fingers or the back of the teaspoon.

Place the potatoes on the baking sheet with the skin side up first and bake them in the oven at 475 degrees for eight minutes. Then flip them over and cook another eight minutes. (The potatoes will be hot so be careful!)

Fill each potato with the cheese right to the edge of the potato and cook an additional two minutes. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired. Serve with sour cream (optional).

Place any leftover potato skins in your refrigerator. They can easily be reheated in your microwave.

Recipe tips:

• Russet potatoes are a great potato choice for making potato skins because they hold up well and won’t fall apart when baked and scooped.
• If you can’t find taco cheese, cheddar cheese is a great substitute.
• Hold the potato firmly on the counter or table when pricking it with the fork.  This will help prevent the potato from slipping as you do this step.
• The extra potato that you scoop out can be used for mashed potatoes for another dinner.  They should be used within 2-3 days.  Otherwise, the extra potato can be discarded.

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4.43 from 7 votes

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Potato Skins

Delicious, crispy Potato Skins make the best appetizer or side dish recipe.  

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword potato skins, appetizer recipe, potato recipe, party appetizer

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Jeannie Z

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized potatoes
• Olive oil for rubbing potatoes before baking
• Salt and pepper for sprinkling on potatoes before baking
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups shredded taco, shredded
• chives to garnish, optional
• Sour cream, optional

Instructions

1. Wash the potatoes.

2. Prick the potatoes with a fork several times. Rub olive oil over the potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake the potatoes in either the oven or microwave. If using the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cook 45-60 minutes in the oven. If using the microwave, cook on full power for five minutes. Flip them over and cook another five minutes.
4. Let the potatoes cool slightly.
5. Adjust or preheat your oven temperature to 475 degrees to cook the potato skins.
6. Combine the 3 tablespoons olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper in a small bowl.
7. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
8. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the middles leaving about ¼” edge. Place the scooped out potato into a bowl and set aside.
9. Spread about one teaspoon of the seasoned mixture over each side of the potato, starting with the inside of the potato first. Place the potatoes, skin side up, onto baking sheet.
10. Bake for eight minutes. Turn them over and bake another eight minutes.  
11. Add the cheese to each potato, filling them right to the edges. Bake two more minutes.
12. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired. Serve with sour cream (optional).

Recipe Notes

• Russet potatoes are a great potato choice for making potato skins because they hold up well and won’t fall apart when baked and scooped.
• If you can’t find taco cheese, cheddar cheese is a great substitute.
• Hold the potato firmly on the counter or table when pricking it with the fork.  This will help prevent the potato from slipping as you do this step.
• The extra potato that you scoop out can be used for mashed potatoes for another dinner.  They should be used within 2-3 days.  Otherwise, the extra potato can be discarded.

 

Update Note: This recipe was originally posted earlier, but was published again in 2021 to include step by step directions and new photos.