Mini Twice Baked Potato Skins are loaded with cheese and topped with bacon. The small size makes them a kid favorite, but adults will gobble them down too!
I’ve always had an infatuation with Twice Baked Potatoes.
Maybe it’s just that they taste so fantastic or because they are usually only served on special occasions.
Well, I’m throwing that Special Occasions rule right out the window. Here’s a version – miniature and AWESOME – that you can make every week.
Make these on Monday for after school snacks or Friday for watching TV for Sunday for football season. Which apparently is upon us now.
Start off by cooking the baby potatoes in the microwave. It takes about 8 minutes, but that way they are cooked all the way through. Once they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the middle.
Crisp up the skins in the oven with the help of some olive oil and salt. While those bake, mix up the twice baked potato filling of your dreams (or at least mine).
After about 10 minutes, stuff the tiny potatoes with your cheesy-chive filling and boil to bubbly and golden brown. Then –> Top with bacon.
These potatoes are best served straight from the oven. You can scoop and assemble the potato filling in advance and prepare the skins. I recommend baking the skins and filling and broiling them as close to serving time as possible.
By the way, are you having a pompous dinner party with a satirical menu of bite-sized foods? These Mini Twice Baked Potato Skins would be perfect.
Mini Twice Baked Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 16 baby potatoes scrubbed (about 1 ½ pounds, see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons chives or scallions, plus more for garnish (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 2 strips cooked bacon crumbled (see note 4)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prick each potato a few times with a fork. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels.
- Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and microwave for an additional 4 minutes on HIGH.
- Using an oven mitt or kitchen towel to handle the hot potatoes, halve each potato lengthwise and scoop out the middle into a medium bowl, leaving 1/4" layer of potato on the side of each skin.
- Arrange the potato halves cut side down (skin side up) on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the skins are crispy. Remove from the oven and set oven to broil.
- Meanwhile, to the bowl with the scooped potato filling add cheese, sour cream, scallions, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
- Divide the filling among the crisped potato skins. Return filled potato skins to the oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with bacon bits. Garnish with parsley if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Baby potatoes: Red or white-skinned; either is fantastic. Seek out similarly-sized, small round potatoes for easy snack-ability and even cooking time.
- Olive oil: A light coating on the skin of the baby potatoes acts like "glue" for the salt as the spuds bake, plus lends a lovely sheen and crisp texture to the potato skin.
- Scallions or chives: Dill or any other favorite herbs you crave and have handy will also work as a garnish for these bite-sized snacks.
- Bacon: Once you crumble or chop it, just 2 strips of cooked bacon go a long way to lend a salty and savory punch to these Mini Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes.
- Yield: My Mini Twice Baked Potato recipe makes eight servings, each with 4-half baby potato bites (for 2 potatoes per person).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: These mini potato skins can be assembled a day in advance. Bake right before serving time.
Nutrition
Can the potatoes be made in the oven instead of microwave to make larger quantity? If so, what changes in prep?
Hi HC, yes! You should follow our regular twice baked potatoes recipe, I’ve linked it here: https://www.culinaryhill.com/twice-baked-potatoes-recipe/ Hope this helps! – Meggan
I want to freeze theese. What are your suggestions
Hi Marianne, I haven’t tried to freeze these and reheat from cooked. If I were to try, I would bake them, vomiting the fresh parsley garnish at the end, and allow to cool and place them on a baking sheet covered in plastic in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I would transfer them to a freezer-safe ziptop storage bag and freeze until ready to use. I would reheat in a 350-degree oven until they are cooked through and register 165 degrees in the center on a digital thermometer. I hope this helps! – Meggan
Awesomely delicious!
These turn out perfectly every time and are the first thing to disappear at every gathering I take them to. I usually make a very large number of them, is there a faster way to bake them in the oven instead of using the microwave?
Hi Claire, great question! I don’t think it would be faster to do steps one and two in the oven instead of the microwave. Baby potatoes usually take about 20 minutes to roast in the oven. If you are doing several batches though, this may be a timesaver. – Meggan
So good! Thank you!
I loved this post! I read your blog fairly often and you are always coming out with
some great stuff. I will shares this on my facebook, instagram and some
of my loyalty followers. Great jobs! Keep work it with it.
These are so good! What a great appetizer.
These are awesome! Now a family favourite and great for potlucks. Thanks!
These disappeared immediately off the table. Kids, adults, you name it and everyone loved it! Any suggestion on a possible sour cream sub?
These were amazing! I used greek yoghurt as I didn’t have sour cream and it turned out great!