Creamy cheesy fluffy potatoes with crispy bacon – all baked in a crunchy potato skin. These Stuffed Potato Skins are serious comfort food. Plus I’ve got TEN more ideas for fillings below.
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
We’re all agreeing to eat these potato skins with our hands right? They’re the PERFECT handheld snack/lunch/party-food.
Scooping out the potato and mashing it up with cream and butter makes it beautifully light and fluffy.
Then adding the bacon and cheese? Well, that basically takes it up to heavenly status.
Table of Contents
📺 Watch how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
We start by baking the potatoes in the oven until crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. While they’re in the oven, we cook the bacon.
Then, carefully slice the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
Add butter, cream, salt and pepper and mash together, then stir in crispy bacon bits and grated cheese.
Stuff the potato skins with the mixture and top with more cheese before baking in the oven, until the cheese melts.
Pro Tip
Try to ensure all of your potatoes are of a similar size, so they bake in the same amount of time.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Serve topped with a little soured cream and a sprinkling of spring onions (scallions).
🍲 More fantastic potato recipes
10 more ideas for stuffed potato skin fillings
- Thai Sweet Potato Skins – a spicy sweet potato version with peanut butter, coconut milk and spices. It’s accidentally vegan too!
- Lasagne-Stuffed Potato Skins – oh yes I’ve done this one. Whilst making a 4-person lasagne to freeze, I increased the amount of ingredients and stuffed potato skins with the meat and cheese sauce + fresh lasagne sheets. The kids were OVERJOYED!
- Egg and Bacon stuffed Potato Skins – a legitimate way to have jacket spuds for breakfast (with a slightly runny egg too)
- Philly Cheese steak Potato Skins – with ribeye steak and Gouda (I made a version for CenterCutCook a few years ago here)
- Chicken Fajita Potato Skins – use sweet potato again, and mash up with fajita seasoning and garlic, then add cooked chicken pieces, red onion and fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Cheesy Tuna Sweetcorn Potato Skins – with cheddar cheese, tuna and tinned sweetcorn – easy peasy.
- Cottage Pie stuffed Potato Skins – make the minced beef and gravy part of my cottage pie recipe, then spoon it into the scooped out potato and top with creamy mash. Grill until crisp on top.
- Cheesy Veg -stuffed Potato Skins with panko topping – boil up small chopped up pieces of carrot, broccoli and green beans for 5 minutes, then stir into the mashed potato with cheese, butter and cream. Top with panko breadcrumbs and bake for 10 minutes until the panko is golden.
- Spinach, Sausage, Lancashire cheese Potato Skins – add chopped up cooked and drained spinach, and pieces of cooked sausage. Replace the cheddar cheese with Lancashire cheese.
- Creamy Garlic Mushroom Potato Skins – fry up sliced mushrooms in butter, add garlic, salt and pepper and cook for a further minute, then stir into the creamy mashed potato. Top with cheese and place back in the oven to melt for 5-10 minutes.
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Loaded Potato Skins Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 small floury potatoes – such a Maris Pipers
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200 g (7 oz) pancetta cubes (or bacon lardons)
- 2 tbsp double/heavy cream
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 175 g (1 3/4 cups) of grated cheddar or mixed cheese I used a mix of 75% mature cheddar and 25% red Leicester
- 4 tbsp soured cream
- 4 spring onions (scallions) chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190C/375F (fan).
- Prick your potatoes with a fork and start them off in the microwave. Put all the potatoes in the microwave and microwave on high for 10 minutes (alternatively you can add 20 minutes to the cooking time in the oven).8 small floury potatoes – such a Maris Pipers
- Put your potatoes in the oven, directly on the shelf and cook for 35-45 minutes until they're crisp on the outside and soft on the inside (you can check this by stabbing a knife into one of the potatoes to see if it slides in easily).
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan/skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta cubes for 5-6 minutes, until crispy. Remove from the pan.1 tbsp oil, 200 g (7 oz) pancetta cubes (or bacon lardons)
- When your potatoes are ready, take them out of the oven and chop each of the potatoes in half. Pick up a potato half (using a tea towel to protect your hands) and using a spoon, scoop out the insides into a large bowl. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes.
- Add the cream, butter, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mash using a potato masher or a fork until the potato is fluffy.2 tbsp double/heavy cream, 2 tbsp salted butter, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
- Add in the pancetta and cheese (reserving a small handful for sprinkling on top). Mix together.175 g (1 3/4 cups) of grated cheddar or mixed cheese
- Take one of the potato skins and put a spoonful of the potato mix inside. Put the potato in a baking dish and sprinkle with a little of the reserved cheese. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
- When all of the potatoes are stuffed, put them back in the oven for 10-15 minutes (same temperature).
- Take out of the oven and serve with soured cream and a sprinkling of spring onions (scallions).4 tbsp soured cream, 4 spring onions (scallions)
Video
Notes
Make Ahead:
If you want to prepare these baking potatoes ahead, then follow the instructions up to the end of stage 7. Let the potatoes cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. When you’re ready to cook, uncover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until piping hot all the way through.The Pancetta:
Swap out the pancetta cubes for chopped up pieces of crispy bacon. You can use smoked or unsmoked.The Potatoes:
I like to use Rooster potatoes – which are red-skinned floury potatoes. Any floury potato – such as Russet, Desiree, Maris Piper or Kind Edward will also work great. Nutritional Information is approximate, per Potato Skin.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Hi Nicky,
Can I crisp the skins up in my Ninja air fryer ?
This potato skins looks so yummy! definitely gonna try it!
What a delicious appetizer! I think I would eat these instead of a dinner 🙂
Potatoes are my real carb weakness, especially jacket potatoes. So these stuffed skins had my mouth watering and so had to make them, absolutely yummy.
I haven’t had potato skins in years. I think Mum made them once a long time ago. These will be a hit with my bacon, cheese, potato loving man! As for me, I think I’ll sub the bacon for some salty black olives. Yum yum!!
Ooh now that’s an idea. I haven’t managed to make myself like black olives yet, but I’m working on it. Green nocerella olives are the only ones I can truly say I like so far. I bet they’d taste great with their buttery salty flavour.
I am obsessed with potato skins! These potato skins look delicious…definitely craving some of their cheesy goodness right now. I have to recreate the recipe!
You’ll love them Thalia, they’re always a hit!
Taking photos in 10 minutes while anxiously being watched would be impossible for me! You’re doing an impressive job, these look absolutely delicious. Now I’m hungry. 🙂
It’s certainly not easy! Kids are back at school tomorrow though, so I’m definitely looking forward to spending a bit more time on the photographs!!
Those look delicious Nicky, totally drool worthy.
Thanks Suzanna,. I love them, far too moreish though!!
First off, the pictures. Second off, —> “Crispy bacon and melty cheese mixed with creamy, buttery potato”…. I’m honestly DROOLING! Your description is amazing and makes me want to stuff 5 of these in my face, pronto. Great recipe!
Ha ha thanks Christine. Only 5? 😉