Thursday, March 31, 2011

Bacon-Cheeseburger Potato Skins

Pin It I've been craving these for a couple weeks, and was so excited to finally make them. We ate them for a main dish with a simple salad, but they would be awesome appetizers, especially since I used small'ish potatoes (the kind that come in a 5 lb bag). And not only were they a very tasty meal, I'm going to use the insides I scooped out to make Potato Soup, so they are perfect for planning 2-fer's (I love making a new meal with something left-over from a different meal).

These potato skins are loaded with everything that makes a great cheeseburger: seasoned beef, cheese, onion, bacon, and tomato. The only thing I might do differently next time is to use more cheese. I was worried about using too much and ending up with pictures that looked like potato drowning in a mess of cheese, so I was a little stingy (since it's all about the pictures, right?).

My husband and teenager both voted for more cheese. My two younger kids wouldn't partake. Meh. More for us, right?

Note: These were really easy to make because you prep all the filling ingredients while the potatoes bake in the oven. Then you fill and pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to heat everything through and melt the cheese. You could very easily prepare and fill the potato skins (minus the tomatoes) ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge until you needed them. Then just put them in the oven to heat everything back up and melt the cheese.

Bacon-Cheeseburger Potato Skins
printable recipe

12 small russet potatoes (3-4 oz each), scrubbed
1 lb lean ground beef
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 slices bacon
3-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a cheese mix)
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
coarse salt and fresh black pepper

Heat your oven to 400. Prick each potato a few times with a fork and put them directly on the oven rack. Bake until they are tender, 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling ingredients:

Note: I used the same 12-inch skillet for the beef, onion, and bacon. I just wiped it out with a paper towel after both the beef and the onion.

For the beef: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and cook and crumble the meat until it's broken up and no longer pink. Add the Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the beef to a bowl, cover the bowl, and set it aside.

For the onion: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and let it heat for 10 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring very often, until the onion is soft and golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the onion to a bowl, cover the bowl, and set it aside.

For the bacon: Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp (or however you like it). Transfer the bacon to paper towels and dab off the excess fat. Coarsely chop the cooked bacon and set it aside.

To assemble the potato skins: Heat your oven to 400. Let the baked potatoes cool enough to handle and use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise. Use a large spoon to scoop out the inside, leaving about 1/4-inch (+/-) of potato. Save the scooped out flesh for another dish like Potato Soup. Arrange the empty potato skins on a rimmed baking sheet. Layer the following in the skins, dividing it all evenly between them: half of the cheese, the beef, the onion, the bacon, and the remaining half of the cheese. Put the skins in the oven and bake until they are heated through and the cheese is melted, 10-12 minutes. Top with the diced tomato and serve.

Makes 24 potato skins.

Note: I wish I'd lined my baking sheet with foil because getting the cooked-on cheese off the pan was a bit of a pain.

1 comment:

I'd love to hear from you! Please use the form below to send any questions or comments you may have :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...