The Best Stuffed Potato Skins with Sour Cream & Bacon
It’s that time of year again: the Big Game is right around the corner! I created this amazing recipe, perfect for any game day party, using one of my favorite ingredients: tangy sour cream! I used sour cream both within the potato itself, and also as a creamy topper on these loaded baked potato bites, along with spring onions and bacon. Crispy potato skins, stuffed with a creamy-bacon-sour cream mix, these stuffed potato skins will be a hit!
Servings: 14 servings
Equipment
- potato ricer
Ingredients
- 10 medium sized russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 strips of thick cut bacon cooked
- 4 scallions green portions sliced thinly (plus more for garnish)
- 1 cup full fat Hood Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or your favorite cheddar
- kosher salt & ground black pepper
Instructions
TO BAKE THE POTATOES
- Preheat your oven to 400F on the convection setting.
- Reserve a large cookie or baking pan.
- Wash your russet potatoes thoroughly and dry with a dish cloth. Using a fork, prick each potato several times around. This will let the potato release the pressure that builds up from its internal water steaming while baking. Place on the baking sheet.
- Using one tablespoon of olive oil in a small bowl, coat the outside of each potato with you hands. Dip your fingers into the oil and rub around the potato, and then place back on the tray.
- Reserve any leftover olive oil.
- After oiling, sprinkle the potatoes generously with kosher salt. this will add flavor, and also help the skins get crispy!
- Place in the hot oven and bake for about 50 minutes (longer if you are using a conventional, rather than convection, oven), or until a knife goes through the center of a potato easily.
- Don’t turn the oven off yet!
SCOOP THE POTATOES
- While the potatoes bake, cook your bacon and slice the scallions.
- After roasting, set the baking tray on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
- Next, reserve a large bowl, spoon, and if using, an old school potato masher.
- After cooling a bit, use a sharp knife and cut the potatoes in half the long way. Take a large spoon and very carefully, scoop out the cooked potato into the large bowl. You want about 1/4 inch of potato left on the inside of the skins. Some skins will tear, but no worries! That’s why we cooked a few extra!
CRISPING UP THE POTATO SKINS
- Once the potatoes are all scooped, place the reserved potato skins face up on a baking tray. Brush the insides of each potato with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Flip them face down on the baking tray and pop back into the oven to roast for 5 minutes at the same temperature (400F).
MAKING THE SOUR CREAM & SCALLION POTATO FILLING
- Take another large bowl and ‘rice’ the cooked potatoes through a potato rice. You can mash with a potato masher as an alternative.
- Next, melt your butter and add to the potatoes.
- Now add the tangy sour cream, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the sliced scallions and 3 pieces of cooked bacon, roughly chopped.
- Mix completely and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
TO FILL AND FINISH
- After the potato skins have crisped up, remove from the oven and place the pan on a cook rack.
- Flip the skins over and fill each potato skin generously with the mashed potato filling, rounding the tops. Sprinkle with a bit of cheddar cheese and half a strip of bacon.
- After filling, place back under the broiler on high, keeping an eye on the potatoes (and bacon) so they don’t burn. Everything is cooked – you just want to broil until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the broiler and place the finished stuffed pot skins on a large platter.
- Garnish with a generous dollop of Hood Sour Cream and sliced scallions.