Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post. For a limited time this fall, try Tillamook’s Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices! Available at Costco.
Loaded with crispy bacon, fragrant garlic, and topped with tangy Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices, these Cheesy Bacon Garlic Stuffed Potato Skins will get you through all of fall’s festivities.
As hard as it is to believe, fall is here. Soon enough, we will be eating our way through the season with our favorite people. Whether you’re entertaining or being entertained, I’ve got a recipe that will get you through all of fall’s festivities.
Going to a game day potluck? Hosting a friendsgiving or gift exchange? These Cheesy Bacon Garlic Stuffed Potato Skins are a crowd pleaser and will disappear every time!
How to Make Cheesy Bacon Garlic Stuffed Potato Skins
Start by baking Russett potatoes until fork tender. Then, halve each potato and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, making sure to leave a border of about 1/4-inch of flesh attached to the skin.
Brush olive oil on the inside and outside of each skin and pop them back into the oven to get them nice and crispy.
While the skins are in the oven, cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Work in batches as necessary. Do not discard the rendered bacon grease.
Pro-tip: To a non-greased skillet, add as many bacon strips as your skillet can hold (my 10-inch skillet was able to hold 4 strips at a time). Then, turn on the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crispy. Beginning the cooking process in a cold pan helps reduce shrinkage!
Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop into ¼-inch pieces and mix with the potato flesh.
After all the bacon has been cooked, off the heat and allow the bacon grease to cool slightly. Once warm, stir minced garlic into the grease until fragrant. It should take less than a minute.
Add all the garlic and half the grease into the potato flesh mixture and stir to combine. Talk about flavor!
Divide the potato mixture among the crispy potato skins and top with Tillamook’s Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices.
Because they’re sliced, I’m able to add a lot of flavor to the potato skins with very little time and practically no effort! No more accidentally grating my knuckles or losing precious moments with loved ones to shred cheese.
Simply top each skin with a Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slice, pop it under the broiler until melted, and spend more time with those you care about!
Cheesy Bacon Garlic Stuffed Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 Russett potatoes, washed and scrubbed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 strips bacon
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices, halved
- Freshly chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and bake the potatoes for 60 to 70 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Maintain the oven temperature and allow the potatoes to cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, until warm enough to handle.
- Halve the potato skins lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scoop out the potato flesh into a large bowl, leaving a border of about 1/4-inch of flesh attached to the skin. Mash the potato flesh with the back of a fork or a potato masher, until few large lumps remain. Set aside.
- Brush the inside and outside of each potato skin with olive oil and place back on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake the skins for 20 to 25 minutes, until crispy.
- Meanwhile, working in batches, cook the bacon in a large skillet. See pro-tip above!
- Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and allow to cool. Do not discard the bacon grease. Continue with the remaining bacon. Once bacon is cooled, chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Gently mix the bacon with the potato flesh.
- With the heat off, allow the bacon grease in the skillet to cool slightly. To the warm bacon grease, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to burn.
- Transfer all the garlic and about half of the bacon grease to the potato flesh mixture and stir to combine.
- Divide the potato mixture among the baked potato skins and top each skin Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar Slices.
- Place the skins under the broiler until cheese has melted. Watch closely as it's a quick process.
- Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley leaves before serving. Serve warm.
Notes
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Love stuffed potato. This looks yummy!!
These look so delicious, I think they’d be so great for a party!
Oh my gosh I am actually drooling all over my laptop. These look lush! I think I will make them for my Christmas buffet this year :)
I love a good stuffed potato and you can never go wrong with cheese and bacon, just delicious!!
Patty these look delicious!! I can’t wait to make them this weekend.
You’ve totally inspired me to make stuffed potatoes this week. I always fill my potatoes but stuffed potatoes always seem more luxurious.