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Fried Potato Skins
Sins of Commission
Most of us have a few guilty secrets. There are early transgressions we might now admit to with a wry, if slightly embarrassed, grin. For instance, as a child I was sometimes unable to control the temptation to “steal” a tin of smoked oysters or jar of cornishons from the pantry and hide in the garage so my mother wouldn’t catch me eating them — not that she didn’t know who’d done it. (I suspect eating entire jars of cornichons at age eight was a harbinger of my subsequent life of culinary debauchery.)
And then there are more recent and less innocent sins that I’d hesitate to confess to a priest. Sources of shame and disappointment in my own integrity. You’ll understand if I don’t offer a personal example of them.
There’s another category of sin often called guilty pleasures (you chocolate eaters know what I’m talking about). It’s comprised of those little indulgences we have trouble justifying to ourselves. I had a friend who used to hide Oreos from her kids and eat them herself. Others have a regular evening cocktail they pretend is a rare exception to strict probity. Me? Potato skins.
Potato skins deep-fried to a crispy brownish gold. Filled to the rim with perfectly cooked, thick-cut bacon. Heaped with mounds of sharp cheddar. Baked until the cheese bubbles and flows. Topped with cool, snow-white sour cream. Potato skins so over-flowing with cholesterol-laden fat they make your teeth squeak.
I don’t know who invented skins back in the 70s. But they should be shot.
Although you can still find them in the appetizer section of many menus, I never order them. Too often someone has mistaken broccoli for bacon (they’re not the same thing at all) or added sauteed onions (like painting a mustache on a Renoir) or substituted jalapeno Monterey Jack for cheddar (a mistake akin to using sugar instead of salt on a steak). But mostly the pitiful things found in restaurants are just poor imitations with limp skins, undercooked bacon, mild cheese, and fake sour cream.
Potato Skins
Serves 6 as appetizer.6 medium Idaho potatoes
1 lb meaty bacon
12 oz extra-sharp cheddar — shredded
1 1/2 c cultured sour cream
oil for fryingScrub and bake potatoes until done. Cool thoroughly and scoop out flesh leaving just under 1/4″ of flesh on skins. Reserve flesh for other uses.
Heat oven to 450F.
Cook bacon thoroughly, drain, and coarsely chop.
Heat enough oil to submerge skins in to 350F. Fry skins until golden brown (they should be quite crisp in the thinner spots). Drain on paper towels.
Divide bacon among skins. Divide cheese among skins (don’t be afraid to mound it up, it will melt down into skins). Bake on rack in middle of oven until cheese melts and bubbles — about 10 minutes.
Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add sour cream and gorge. Serves two.
UPDATE: Here’s a related entry on fats and oils.
Also see Elise’s recipe for Baked Potato Skins.
39 Responses to “Fried Potato Skins”
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Disclaimer: Most quantities in recipes are approximate. Adjust as needed according to your taste and experience. Unless otherwise specified, eggs are large and butter is unsalted.
I’m pretty sure TGI Friday’s invented potato skins. At the very least, they popularized them. (I worked there for years. And stayed skinny: I walked about ten miles a day on a long shift.)< HREF="http://myguestmap.lorca.eti.br/guestmap.jsp?id=foodbloggers" REL="nofollow">Come stick a pin in the Food Bloggers Global Map.<>
Oh Kevin, Those sound amazing!! I want to eat them. Right now.By the way, you’ll never guess what I got caught sneaking when I was a kid. Nope, it wasn’t bacon… my mom found me in the corner of the front porch with AN ENTIRE STICK OF BUTTER. I guess my obsession started early.
Hi, Kevin. I wouldn’t shoot the guy who invented potato skins. I’d bury him alive! Those things have been the ruin of many diets I’ve attempted over the years. But, darned, they taste good…
Tana,I first had skins at a non-chain restaurant around 1977.Megan,I buy a really good Amish butter that comes in big, misshapen lumps these days. (Note, I said “buy.”)Midge,I allow myself one batch a year. It does help, though, that you can’t buy decent skins these days.Kevin
Oh my gosh! I haven’t eaten or thought about potato skins in years. Shame on you for putting the guilty thought in my head again!
Jennifer,“Oh my gosh! I haven’t eaten or thought about potato skins in years.”Hee, hee, hee.
I love potato skins. The Husband? Not so much. I can’t even tell you the last time I had them, but I’m no seriously craving them!
Sweetnicks,This really works to your advantage. What you do is make skins. You eat the skins and serve him the insides as Potatoes O’Brien or potato salad or something.
OMG – this recipe is completely amazing. We don’t have a tradition of potato skins here in Australia (but now (I do).Cheers
Geekgirl2,Be sure to use a thick-skinned baking potato.
Yummy, the potato skins look great and yes, the ones at places like TGIFs are soft and not thick enough.
Those look absolutely delicious! And I don’t think they’re fattening at all…that’s just a cruel hoax to get people to stop eating them…don’t believe a word, potato skins are good for you I tell you! :-)
Oh wow. I have to make those! In fact, this just might be *it* – I need something to break in my new deep fryer… and what better than yummy potato skins. Only problem is that I can’t get “orange cheese” here, so I’ll just have to substitute something else. Oh well! Thanks for sharing this!
Boo,TGIF’s skis are horrible!Joey,Sorry bud, but you can gain up to five pounds just looking at the picture of them.Anne,I bought my DeLonghi deep-frier specifically to make three things: skins, real French fries, and good fish-n-chips. I may use it one other time a year, but I consider it worth the cost just for those three things.
Like Jennifer, I haven’t eaten or thought of potato skins for years, but now you have given me cravings!
Oh man. Finally got around to trying these. Incredible. Most definitely saving the recipe, it was delicious. :)
Ive been searching forever for a potato skins recipe that actually sounded like they would be worth the recipe. I am so going to go and preheat my oven right now!!!
Oh, my. You know, husband o’mine really needed some severe comfort food tonight. If I’d known about this… he could have had skins, glorious potato skins!*tucking away for future comfort food purposes*Awesome!! Although, personally, I like the addition of broccoli. Blasphemy, for certain!
S’kat,Sometimes I think I should have named this blog Seriously Sinful.And yes, broccoli is blasphemy. But then, sin is kind of the point.
Whats the big deal. I eat skins. Their awesome. I also grew up eating packs of bacon dipped in syrup. I still play sports, am tall and thin. In fact I am underweight for my size. If you don’t like them, don’t eat them. Period!
I love potato skins, they are definately my guilty pleasure. My suggestion? Put slices of fresh avocado on them…sooooo good!
LOVE POTATO SKINS!!! Bacon and cheese…what more could you ask for!!! I haven’t had any in a long time. I think I will have some soon…oh and by the way, what are cornishons? I keep thinking of Cornish Hens and I know that you can’t eat a “jar” of them!
Kisha,Cornichons are tiny french cucumbers (1 1/2″ – 2″ long) pickled with garlic. They;re astoundingly good.
Actually, Friday’s was the first to offer Potato Skin’s. I lived with a guy in Atlanta GA named Phil Cunningham. Actually, Phillip J. Cunningham. He was a line cook we were kind of broke partiers, who went on to become bartenders at some great ATL party bars. Phil was broke and rather than having to pay for a half priced menu meal at work, he looked into the back at the prep counter and from the prep-work of the twice cooked baked potato he saw a bunch of empty potato skins lying there. Hungry, he threw them into the fryer. when they came out he tossed some bacon bits n cheader cheese onto them. They were pretty good, and free! The next day he did the same, but went along the baked potato line and added some sour cream. After about a week his manager asked him what he was eating… actually afraid of being accused of eating food without paying he said it’s just garbage… the shells of the twice cooked potatos. The manager said… give me one…. the manager said, “these are good… what do you call them?”…. Phil replied, “I don’t call them anything, they’re just potato skins”…. Fridays Corporate was visiting ATL next week, the manager asked Phil to make some skins for the Management. The Rest is Potato Skin history. Phil got a $250.00 bonus for his history making food invention. We went out and drank that $250.00 up in beers and Grande Mariner, we were in our early 20′s. The year was about 1978 – 1979, I’m not really sre around then though. I don’t know if Phil is alive or dead today, but he did invent Potato Skins at Fridays in Atlanta GA.The Truth,From Michael PuglieseAtlanta, GA
Thanks for the history lesson. I am still a Fridays skins fan. I think I first had them at the Oasis in Austin, Tex., in 1984.I will try frying the skins. Right now when I buy a bag of potatoes, I just dump them into a vat of water to soak for a couple of hours, and the dirt falls off. I don’t scrub. I may or may not bother cutting out the eyes/bruises, depending on my mood. We are talking art here. I like to put four of them into one of those Ziploc steam bags and microwave them. Then I cut them in half and scoop out the flesh for mashed potatoes. Then I can use the skins for all these delicious receipts (as they used to be called back in the day …there’s my contribution to the folklore.)
Anon,I don’t know why, but somehow I missed Michael’s history lesson when he posted it. Thanks to you I’ve now seen it. Very cool.Roasting concentrates flavors and so does frying – so roasted, fried skins are doubly concentrated.I’ve had them on my mind for the last three weeks, so I guess I’d better make a batch.
If you are worried about the fat content…Instead of deep frying the skins, bake them at 400 for ten minutes on each side after coating them with a light olive oil. Just as tasty, but not as greasy!! I’m pregnant and make them at least once a week, loaded with cheddar, bacon chunks, and low-fat sour cream. Nummy!!
Bitt3rfly,I’m sure you’re aware that “light” olive oil is only light in flavor – not fat or calories. But the real fat/calorie culprets in this recipes are the cheese and bacon. The frying doesn’t contribute all that much if the oil if fresh and the temperature is right.
I cant believe this blog has been going for nearlly 3 years, all about potato skins….. everything in moderation people – eat and be and be happy you could get hit by the number 7 bus tomorrow and think “gee could have eaten Kevin’s amazing potato skins” surely Kevin despite what you think you need to confess to a preist – you WILL get to heaven for this recipe :)
Ok, I just gotta jump in here. Yes, I am a potato skin fanatic. Once a year (b/c I’m 49 and my metabolism & ovaries have mutinied my body)on my bday I tell all my friends & family “all I want is a pitcher of kick butt margarita’s and potato skins” and all year long my skinny (and much younger friends) test all sorts of skins from various restaurants, and they bring to what they hope is the golden egg of potato skins. Unfortunately, everyone of them has been horrible. Except for this one time (and not in band camp either) when my good friend called up a very nice restaurant in Jacksonville, FL and convinced the chef (a week in advance to our arrival) to make an order of 6 skins just for me!. He’d never done it before, but took on the challenge & my GOD they were wonderful! I’m not sure if I’m happy that this recipe exists on line now. I may just send it to my sister (who cooks) and delete this site from my cookies. Then I’ll just ask my sister to make them for me on my bday & stick to going out just for margarita’s with my young skinny friends who were able to eat potato skins all year long. (I hate them all!)
Nellie,
That’s a great story! And I too only eat them once a year.
I had potatoes skins the first time back in 86 in tgi friday in London, I was a busboy at tgi back then and I sure stuff myself with them with no ends.
I’m in Paris now and the french don’t know it. And there is no TGI friday in Paris (they quitted in 2002/2003 still it wasn’t in the menu). I am dying for some. I can only eat it when I go to England or to the States.
That’s why I am on this blog learning how to make it, I’m done waiting for my trips to satisfy all those things I crave for that the mighty french cuisine doesn’t provide.
i honeslty dont think frying is healthy
Back in Kuwait mom used to stuff it with shawerma, black olives, bacon, cheddar..And top it with generous amount of mint chutney..Boy..the good times..
It’s good when i stumble on a remarkable blog post like this. Getting a amount tired of the garbage posts some blog writers publish on their blogs. Keep it up. You have a regular subscriber now..
Where do you find a thick skinned potato like they used to have at Cracker Barrel or TGIF and you could buy in the grocery? even Russets are not thick enough to twice bake
My Brother opened and managed the first TGI out of New York which was (weirdly enough) in Memphis – going on to open Nashville, Dallas (there, threw his shoe through a HUGE Stained Glass window that 1st New Years’ Eve!), etc. His best friend in Memphis – Mickey S. Started the shirt/suspenders Pin wearing. At any rate, I was there: Potato Skins were developed as a way to utilize left-over Baked Potatoes. If you think about it – that’s kind of a sweet – DUH!!! They also had the first Blue Cheese Stuffed Burger. Thought I’d died and gone to heaven the first time I ate both in the early 70′s!!
Needed to use up left over baked potatoes and my lil brother mentioned potatoe skins the other day so I searched fir a good recipe that actually fries the skins and I found it here!
One of life’s great indulgences.