Easily Upgrade Potato Skins With Bacon, But Not In The Way You'd Expect - Tasting Table

"A fun and satisfying year-round snack, potato skins are inexpensive, easy to make, and allow for plenty of tasty experimentation (even when swapping the main ingredient for a fall twist). Commonly topped with a quartet of crumbled bacon, melted cheddar cheese, dolloped sour cream, and fresh-chopped chives, it's all the flavor of a loaded baked potato sans the fluff. Now, you can level up these flavor bombs with the swipe of your basting brush, coating them in richly flavored bacon drippings."

"Lightly slathering anything (including the outside of your potato skins) in this undeniably decadent and tasty fat is just one of many ways to upgrade your recipes and add another dimension of mouthwatering umami to this popular app. Bonus - it also turns those skins extra crispy. While olive oil or butter might achieve a similar effect, when flavor is the focus, it behooves you to up your celebratory snack game to impart even more savory bacon-laden goodness."

"The best type of potatoes to use for potato skins is russets. The dryness of their skins ensures maximum crispiness, while their thickness provides stability for toppings. Size is just a preference. Large potatoes take longer, but yield six to eight slender skins. Medium russets are quicker and can simply be cut in half for a more bowl-like experience, perfect for cradling toppers."

Potato skins serve as a fun, satisfying, and inexpensive year-round snack that allows for experimentation, including seasonal ingredient swaps. Popular toppings include crumbled bacon, melted cheddar cheese, dolloped sour cream, and fresh-chopped chives, delivering the flavor of a loaded baked potato without the fluff. Brushing the outside of potato skins with bacon drippings imparts rich, savory umami and enhances crispiness more than olive oil or butter. Russet potatoes perform best because their dry, thick skins maximize crispiness and provide stability for toppings. Large russets yield more slender skins while medium russets offer quicker, bowl-like halves ideal for cradling toppings.

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