Appetizers / Snacks
Fully Loaded Potato Skins
With a bunch of crispy skins on hand, some savory chili, a bacon-cheese sauce, and a ranch & onion sour cream dip, you’ll devour these irresistible snacks in no time.
A standard restaurant appetizer, just about everyone loves crispy potato skins. And now you can make your own loaded skins. A few requisite ingredients came to mind, but to beef these up, a rich, loose chili felt like the right place to start. An easy cheese sauce using bacon drippings was the next place to go — of course, there are bacon bits for the top. Then last, but in no means least, dress up sour cream with onions and packaged ranch dip for the icing on these skins, so to speak. Whether you make one, two, or all three of these recipes, you’re going to get asked to make these addictive appetizers often.
Ingredients
FOR THE TWO ONION-RANCH SOUR CREAM DIP, COMBINE:
FOR THE BACON-CHEESE SAUCE, COOK:
ADD:
WHISK IN:
STIR IN:
FOR THE GROUND CHUCK CHILI, BROWN:
DEGLAZE:
Instructions
For the Two Onion-Ranch Sour Cream Dip, combine sour cream, scallions, chives, and ranch mix; chill until ready to serve.
For the Bacon-Cheese Sauce, cook bacon in a sauté pan until crisp. Transfer bacon to a papertowel-lined plate; discard all but 1 Tbsp. drippings.
Add scallion whites and garlic to drippings; cook over medium heat until fragrant, 1 minute.
Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and Dijon until smooth; bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in cheese until melted and sauce thickens.
Stir in scallion greens; season sauce with salt and pepper. Serve sauce with potato skins; top servings with bacon.
For the Ground Chuck Chili, brown chuck in oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until cooked through, crushing with a potato masher. Transfer chuck to a paper-towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon; discard all but 1 Tbsp. drippings.
Add onion, garlic, chili powder, and cumin to drippings; cook over medium-high heat until onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Deglaze pan with broth, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until broth nearly evaporates.
Stir in tomato sauce, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chuck. Reduce heat to medium and cook chili until heated through, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Serve toppings with potato skins.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 345
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 75mg 25%
Sodium 528mg 22%
Carbs 9g 3%
Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 13g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.