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Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins

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5 from 4 reviews

Jalapeno poppers and loaded potato skins combine to the most epic game day appetizer you've ever seen - Loaded Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins!! Baby red potato skins piled high with a creamy, cheesy, spicy filling then topped with MORE cheese, crispy crumbled bacon and green onions!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs. small/medium baby red potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 2-4 tablespoons canned diced jalapenos
  • 8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced + more for garnish
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • sour cream for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Poke each potato 2-3 times with a fork. Place potatoes in a large white bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat potatoes evenly.
  3. Transfer them to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tender.
  5. In a small bowl combine 4 oz. sharp cheddar, cream cheese, diced jalapeno, bacon and green onion along with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
  6. Let potatoes cool for a few minutes until you can handle them. Then slice them in half
  7. Use a melon baller or 1/2 teaspoon cookie scoop to remove the flesh of the potato, leaving about a 1/4-1/2 inch or so around the edge.
  8. Brush insides of the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  9. Broil for 1-2 minutes.
  10. Flip potatoes. Brush the skin with olive oil. Broil for 1-2 minutes.
  11. Use a cookie scoop to scoop about a tablespoon of filling into the center of each potato.
  12. Top filling with remaining 2 oz. of shredded sharp cheddar and divide bacon evenly between the potato skins. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
  13. Garnish with sliced green onion and sour cream and enjoy!

Notes

Find potatoes that are all the same size. I went for small to medium potatoes so they weren't quite bite size jalapeno popper potato skins, but pretty close. This will ensure that all the potatoes bake the same and you won't have any that end up too overcooked or raw.

A melon baller or cookie scoop is ideal for getting the flesh out of the potato AND for filling it. A melon baller will give you more control when you're removing the center of the potato. And a cookie scoop with ensure that each potato is filled with a uniform amount of cream cheese filling.

Adjust the heat level by adding more or less diced jalapenos. I like to use the HOT canned diced jalapenos for this recipe. I usually add 4 tablespoons, but that might be way too hot for you. Start with 1-2 tablespoons and taste the filling. Add more as needed. I've also seen MILD canned diced jalapenos if you really have an aversion to heat!

Nutrition