If you’ve ever ordered potato skins at a pub, chances are they were deep-fried. Delicious? Sure. Heavy? Also yes. This recipe is for Baked Potato Skins that are not fried but still give you that crispiness you love. The problem with a lot of baked versions of Potato Skins is that they are often soft or chewy. The good news is that crispiness is possible to achieve through baking; it just takes some technique! This recipe makes delicious bite-sized potato skins that are totally customizable.

Prep Matters Because the Skin Is the Star

Since the skin is the part we’re actually eating, preparation is essential. Start by scrubbing the potatoes well under running water to remove any dirt. Once cleaned, make sure they are completely dry before they go into the oven. Surface moisture causes potatoes to steam rather than crisp, so drying them thoroughly is one of the simplest (but most important) steps. Remember that dry skins bake into crisp skins.

Potato Choice (Foundation of Success)

For baked potato skins, I used small golden potatoes. These help you make bite-sized potato skins that cook faster and make easy appetizers. They have a creamy texture, so you don’t need to scoop out as much flesh, and they prep quicker than other larger baking potatoes. Their light, buttery flavor also pairs perfectly with any toppings or dips you serve with them.

The Scoop Rule: Leave Enough Potato Behind

Once baked, the potatoes are halved and scooped, but not completely hollowed out. Leaving about a quarter-inch of potato attached to the skin gives the shells structure and keeps them from becoming tough.

Scooping your potatoes too thinly makes the skin turn leathery. Leave too much potato behind, and trapped steam prevents the crisping. Letting potatoes cool for about 10-15 minutes before scooping also helps maintain clean edges and prevents tearing.

Oil and Salt Help Skins Crisp, Not Fry

Even though these are baked, oil still plays an important role. Brushing both the inside and outside of the skins with oil encourages even browning and crisp texture. Olive oil works great, but you can use whatever oil you have on hand, like vegetable oil or avocado.

Salting the skins before baking also helps draw out moisture, which helps with that perfect crispiness. Combined with a hot oven, the skins roast rather than steam, giving you crisp results without frying.

Easy Ways to Change Up the Flavours

Once your skins are crisp, you can take them in all kinds of directions. Classic loaded baked potato skins are always a hit. Top them with melted cheese, bacon, and chives, then dollop with sour cream after baking. For a Mediterranean spin, try adding feta and mozzarella, then finishing with tzatziki, chopped tomatoes, olives, and oregano once they’re out of the oven.

These Baked Potato Skins go so well with my Mediterranean Mezze ideas if you’re looking for what to serve them with.

How to Prevent Soggy Baked Potato Skins

• Don’t Bake Wet Ingredients: Baking wet toppings like salsa or sour cream directly on the skins causes steaming, so those should always be added afterward.
• Crowding: Crowding the baking sheet can trap heat and moisture, so leave space between skins to allow airflow. Crisping depends as much on circulation as oven temp.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Leftover skins keep well in the fridge for three to four days when stored in an airtight container. They can also be frozen by first freezing them individually on a tray, then transferring them to a freezer bag once solid.

For reheating, the air fryer gives the best results, bringing the skins back to life with crisp edges. You can also use an oven to reheat, but I’d avoid the microwave if you want to keep them crispy.

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Baked Potato Skins

Created By: Maria Koutsogiannis

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These delicious Baked Potato Skins are easy-to-make and use less oil than the typical, pub, fried version. They're excellent for dipping and serving as an appetizer.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American-Inspired

Servings 12 -15 potato skins

Calories 152 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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• 12-15 small golden potatoes, washed and dried
• 3 tbsp Toom Garlic Dip
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• olive oil cooking spray

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Wash and dry the potatoes and set them on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and use your hands to toss the potatoes with the olive oil and then spread out on the baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside.
• Turn up the heat to 425F.
• When the potatoes are just cool enough to handle, slice each in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to gently scoop out the flesh, leaving ¼ inch potato flesh inside the potato skin.
• Mix together the Toom Garlic Dip, salt and pepper and then brush the insides and outsides of the potato skins and place them all cut side down on the baking sheet.
• When the oven is preheated to 425F, bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 5-10 minutes until browned and crispy.
• Use these baked potato skins to dip into your favorite dip!

Notes

• We love to dip these baked potato skins into our Spinach and Artichoke Dip, 7 Greek Layer Dip and Spicy Greek Feta Dip (Tirokafteri)

Nutrition

Serving: 1potato skin (2 pieces) | Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.5g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 1.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Sodium: 55.6mg | Fiber: 3.9g | Sugar: 1.5g

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