Southwestern Potato Skins are crispy oven baked potato skins loaded with taco meat, cheese, salsa, jalapenos and sour cream.
These potato skins are a perfect appetizer or side dish.
Whenever I am eating out with friends or family and potato skins are on the menu, we always order them to share. I had never made them myself, but last week I decided to give them a try.
My husband and I were watching football, so that was my excuse to indulge. We were planning on having a taco dip, so this idea came to mind.
My bag of potatoes had a lot of small ones in it, so these were perfect. If serving potato skins as a side dish, I would use larger potatoes.
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHWESTERN POTATO SKINS:
(Full recipe and instructions on printable card below in post)
INGREDIENTS:
Russet potatoes
Vegetable oil, olive oil or canola oil
Ground beef
Taco seasoning package
Onions
Sharp cheddar cheese
Jalapeno
Salsa
Tomatoes
Sour cream
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
Wash the potatoes, pierce skins with a fork to vent steam.
Rub the skins with oil.
Place potatoes on a rack on a baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are tender in center. Remove from the oven and cool until able to handle.
While the potatoes are baking, prepare the taco meat and toppings.
Brown ground beef, drain grease, add taco seasoning packet and water.
Allow the potatoes to cool about 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the centers. Leave about 1/4 of the potatoes inside.
Arrange the ingredients for filling the potato skins.
Assemble the potato skins by filling a third of each skin with cheese. Add about a tablespoon of taco meat. (The amount will depend on the size of the potatoes.) Top with cheese.
If meat seems too cool, place the skins on the baking sheet and return to oven until cheese melts.
Top with onions, salsa, jalapeno slice and sour cream.
Place on a serving tray. Serve leftover toppings on the side
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE:
They are a popular appetizer, and a real comfort food.
The potato skins can be filled with a wide variety of fillings and toppings.
TIPS FOR PREPARING SOUTHWESTERN POTATO SKINS:
Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use.
Do not wrap the potatoes in foil or they will become soggy.
Bake the potatoes on a rack. The heat will circulate better and the potatoes will not have a flat, hard bottom.
Allow the potatoes to cool about 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Use a serrated knife to slice the potatoes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What can I do with the potato centers scooped out?
Add the potatoes to LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP. Another common way to use is to make mashed potatoes with them.
How do I store the leftover potato skins?
Refrigerate the leftovers for in a sealed container for up to 2 days.
How do I reheat the leftover potato skins?
Place potato skins on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until filling and cheese is warm.
These potato skins will be on the table with my other Super Bowl Snacks including, Bacon Cheddar Sausage Balls, Pepperoni Rolls, and Loaded Football Veggie Pizza. We will order some wings, have chips and dip, some decorated sugar cookies and brownies for dessert.
This recipe was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck.
SOUTHWESTERN POTATO SKINS
Ingredients
- 6 small (3") russet potatoes
- 1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (olive oil or canola oil)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (1oz) package taco seasoning mix
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup onions, diced (may use green onions)
- 1 cup salsa
- 1-2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 fresh jalapeno
- 1 tub or bag sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a metal rack on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Wash the potatoes, pierce skins with a fork to vent steam. Rub the skins with oil.
- Place potatoes on the rack. Bake until potatoes are tender in center, Knife carefully inserted in center to test.
- While the potatoes are baking, cook the taco meat. Crumble and brown the ground beef in a medium size saucepan or skillet. Drain the grease. Stir in the water and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the stovetop.
- Prepare the toppings. Shred the cheese (block cheese is better to use if possible) Dice the onions. Place salsa in a bowl. Remove the seeds and dice the tomato. USING GLOVES, cut the jalapeno in thin slices. Place sour cream in a bowl or set out squeeze bag. I like to arrange the toppings to fill the potato skins in an assembly line fashion.
- When the potatoes are baked, remove them from the oven and allow to cool 10-15 minutes before slicing open,
- Using a serrated knife, cut the potatoes in half and carefully scoop out the centers. Leave about 1/4 of the potatoes inside.
- Assemble the potato skins by filling a third of each skin with cheese. Add about a tablespoon of taco meat. (The amount will depend on the size of the potatoes.) Top with cheese. Return to the oven for about 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Top with onions, salsa, jalapeno slice and sour cream. Arrange on a serving tray. Serve the remaining toppings on the side.
Notes
Bake the potatoes on a rack. The heat will circulate better, and the potatoes will not have a flat, hard bottom. Refrigerate the leftovers for in a sealed container for up to 2 days. To reheat leftovers, place potato skins on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until filling and cheese is warm.