Loaded potato skins
Crispy potato skins piled high with melted mature cheddar, streaky bacon, soured cream and chives — a brilliant party snack.
Crispy little boats of potato goodness — loaded potato skins are the sort of snack people queue for at parties. They’re easy to make, endlessly adaptable and absolutely brilliant for sharing.
This version keeps things classic: floury potatoes, salty streaky bacon, melting mature cheddar and cooling dollops of soured cream and chives. Make them for a game night, a relaxed supper or whenever you want something irresistibly greedy.
Ingredients
- 4 large floury potatoes
- 30 ml sunflower oil
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground is best
- 6 streaky bacon
- 200 g mature cheddar — grated
- 30 g unsalted butter — melted
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 120 ml soured cream
- 2 spring onions — finely sliced
- 15 g fresh chives — chopped
Equipment
- baking tray
- frying pan
- grater
- pastry brush
- wire rack
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Scrub the potatoes, dry them, then rub each with 1 tbsp sunflower oil and a pinch of sea salt. Place directly on a baking tray or on a wire rack over a tray.
Bake the potatoes until tender when pierced with a skewer — about 60 minutes at 200°C fan/220°C conventional.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes so they are easier to handle.
While the potatoes rest, fry the streaky bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and when cool, roughly crumble.
Cut each potato in half lengthways. Using a spoon, scoop out most of the flesh leaving a roughly 5mm shell so the skins hold their shape. Reserve the scooped potato in a bowl.
Mix the scooped potato with the melted unsalted butter, smoked paprika, half the grated mature cheddar, a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Brush the potato skins (inside and out) with the remaining 1 tbsp sunflower oil, place skins skin-side down on a baking tray and crisp under a hot grill for 5–7 minutes until the skins are golden. Watch them closely — they can burn fast.
Turn the skins skin-side up, spoon the cheesy potato mix evenly back into each shell, scatter the crumbled bacon and the remaining grated mature cheddar over the top.
Return to the grill for 3–4 minutes to melt and bubble the cheese — serve immediately with dollops of soured cream, a scatter of spring onions and chopped fresh chives.
Tips
- Choose floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward) for light, fluffy insides that mash well and crisp up beautifully.
- Leave about 5mm of potato flesh when scooping — scoop too thin and the skins will tear or collapse when filled.
- If making ahead, bake, scoop and cool the skins; then chill the shells and the filling separately for up to 24 hours. Refill and grill for 6–8 minutes to finish.
- To get very crisp skins, place them skin-side down on a wire rack over the tray so hot air circulates underneath while grilling.
- Use a good, mature cheddar for flavour. Mild cheese will melt nicely but you’ll lose the punchy tang.
Substitutions
streaky bacon → smoked turkey rashers, same quantity
Stays closemature cheddar → grated Monterey Jack or red Leicester, same quantity
Stays closestreaky bacon → sliced chestnut mushrooms, sautéed with a little soy sauce and smoked paprika (use 150 g mushrooms)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 659
- Calories
- 25 g
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes — bake and scoop the skins, and make the filling, then cool and store separately in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Refill and finish under the grill for 6–8 minutes before serving.
Can I freeze loaded potato skins?
You can freeze unfilled, cooked skins for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, refill and grill to reheat. Filled skins don’t freeze as well because the texture changes.
How can I make these vegetarian?
Replace the bacon with sautéed chestnut mushrooms tossed in smoked paprika and a splash of soy sauce. The flavour will be different but still very tasty.
Can I use sweet potatoes instead?
Yes — sweet potatoes work, but they’re sweeter and softer so leave a slightly thicker shell when scooping to prevent collapse.
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