Almost every bar or pub will have potato skins on their menu. I love me a good potato skin or two or…topped with a generous dollop of sour cream or dipped in ranch dressing, oh my! They are a bacony, carb loving, cheese lovers dream.
These cheesy potato bites are a breeze to make and take a fraction of the time to cook. There is no scooping out and discarding any of the delicious potato centers. Nope, this recipe lets you enjoy all the potatoey goodness!
Confession time, do you end up tossing the potato flesh that you scoop out of the potatoes when you make potato skins or do you actually use it in another recipe? It’s hit or miss for me. Good news, no waste and no guilt with this recipe.
These can be served as an appetizer or as a cheesy decadent side dish that pairs well with just about anything you are cooking up for dinner!
We loved them with Sloppy Joes the other night but they are a great alternative to a baked potato when grilling steaks or ribs on the barbecue.
Sloppy Joe’s with Cheesy Potato Bites, doesn’t that just make your mouth water thinking of it for dinner?
Enough drooling…lets make these already!
Start by preheating the oven to 375°
Wash and dry potatoes. I used one potato for each person.
Cut each potato into 1/2 thick slices.
Place slices on a cookie sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
Bake for 25 minutes.
While potato slices are in the oven, cook bacon until crisp. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan. We are going to use it to enhance the bacon flavor!
Drain cooked bacon on paper towels.
Chop the bacon and set it aside.
After 25 minutes, remove the potato slices from the oven. Baste each slice with the reserved bacon fat; flip slices over and baste the other side. Season with some additional salt & pepper.
Return potato slices to the oven and bake for an additonal 10 minutes.
Check doneness by pricking slices with a fork, they should be lightly browned on top and soft on the inside.
Top each slice with a sprinkle of Ranch seasoning, a teaspoon of crumbled bacon and some grated cheddar cheese.
Return to the oven for the last time and bake for about 3-5 minutes; until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Turn oven to broil and cook until cheese is lightly browned along the edges. Watch closely so they don’t burn, this will only take a minute or two.
Broiling them at the end produces a fabulous cheese skirt. That chewy edge of cheese that’s to die for!
Serve slices topped with a generous dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives or green onions.
There will be no leftovers, guaranteed!!!
Cheesy Potato Bites
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 5-6 strips bacon
- 1 tsp Ranch seasoning
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- chopped chives or green onions, for garnish
- ½ cup sour cream or Ranch dressing, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Wash potatoes and dry. Cut each potato into 1/2 thick slices and place on a cookie sheet.
- Brush each slice with olive oil and top with salt & pepper.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- While potato slices are in the oven, cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon fat in the pan.
- Chop bacon and set aside.
- Remove potato slices from the oven. Baste both sides of each slice with the reserved bacon fat and season with salt & pepper.
- Return potato slices to the oven and bake for an additonal 10 minutes.
- Check doneness by pricking slices with a fork, they should be lightly browned on top and soft on the inside.
- Remove potato slices from the oven and top each slice with a sprinkle of Ranch seasoning, a teaspoon of crumbled bacon and some cheddar cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake for about 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Turn oven to broil and cook until cheese is lightly browned along the edges. Watch closely so they don't burn, this will only take a minute or two.
- Serve slices topped with a sprinkle of chives or green onions and a generous dollop of sour cream.
If you decide to make these Cheesy Potato Bites, don’t forget to comment and leave a review, or tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
These would be perfect to serve up for Father’s Day!
Enjoy!!!
This looks amazing! My mouth is watering….looking forward to making these!