Cheesy Loaded Stuffed Potatoes with Bacon
What’s better than baked potatoes? Cheesy loaded stuffed potatoes is one example and if you add bacon to them, that could be the perfect lunch option! In our house, we always make twice the number of baked potatoes we need then they are reinvented the next day as loaded potatoes.
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But you don’t need to limit yourself to using up existing potatoes. You can make them from scratch with this simple recipe. Let’s check out how to make bacon and cheese stuffed baked potatoes any time you fancy them.
What are baking potatoes?
Technically, you can bake any type of potato you like. Sweet potatoes are popular cooked this way and there’s nothing to stop you popping any style of potato into the oven to give it a good cook.
But there are potatoes that are the best for the job. Just like there are some potatoes that are best for fries or for potato salads, some potatoes stand at the front of the queue when it comes to baking potatoes.
Here in the UK, it is simple – they are called baking potatoes! And while others such as Maris Piper are good, the baking potatoes are usually the best. Elsewhere, such as in the US, there are a few candidates but one of the most popular is the Idaho potato.
The Idaho potato is actually a series of types of potato all grown in Idaho (hence the name) with some including russet, red potatoes, fingerling and Yukon Gold. In fact, the state harvest 13 billion pounds of potato every year. In particular, the Idaho russet potatoes are perfect as baking potatoes.
What you need to make loaded stuffed potatoes
To make this recipe you will need:
- 4 large baking potatoes, washed and patted dry
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T. coarse sea salt
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 6 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided
- 3 T. fresh chives, finely chopped
- ½ c. Greek yogurt or sour cream, optional
You can swap the cheeses for any of your favourites as long as they are good cooking cheese. For example, Monterey Jack can be swapped for other mild and creamy cheese such as Gouda or Edam. And there are loads of different varieties and strengths of cheddar to experiment with.
How to make the recipe
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Put the potatoes on a wire rack and drizzle with a little olive oil. Or you can put them in a bowl and move them around to coat them. Use your hands not utensils so not the break the skin. Then pierce each potato several times with a fork and toss with sea salt.
Step 3: Cook the potatoes for 60 minutes until they are tender and leave to cool for several minutes.
Step 4: Once cool enough to handle, cut an oval shape in the top. Carefully remove the skin and scoop out the potato with a spoon but don’t cut all the way through. Pop the potato flesh into a bowl.
Step 5: Add half of each cheese and 2/3 of the bacon to the bowl with the potato flesh and season then stir to mix.
Step 6: Split the mixture into four and put back into the potato skins then cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and add the rest of the cheese and bacon on top of each potato then sprinkle with fresh chives and Greek yoghurt.
Recipe tips
Use already cooked potatoes: this is what I mentioned above and something we always do when having ‘normal’ baking potatoes.
- Leave them to cool, usually somewhere like the microwave, until the next day. Scoop out the potato and pop it into a bowl.
- Add butter and cheese as well as any other ingredients you want to add and mix it together.
- Pop it back into the potato shell and top with Parmesan then cook in the oven for about 30 minutes until everything is warm and the cheese melts.
- Use already cooked potatoes and load them
Try pancetta instead of bacon: I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a pancetta nut. I look to swap bacon for it wherever I can. With this recipe, I would definitely cook the pancetta first before cutting it up and adding to the mix.
Cheesy Loaded Stuffed Potatoes with Bacon
Upgrade your baked potatoes with this easy cheesy loaded stuffed potato recipe with bacon and topped with fresh chives
Ingredients
- 4 large baking potatoes, washed and patted dry
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T. coarse sea salt
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 6 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, divided
- 3 T. fresh chives, finely chopped
- ½ c. Greek yogurt or sour cream, optional
Instructions
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Put the potatoes on a wire rack and drizzle with a little olive oil. Or you can put them in a bowl and move them around to coat them. Use your hands not utensils so not the break the skin. Then pierce each potato several times with a fork and toss with sea salt.
Step 3: Cook the potatoes for 60 minutes until they are tender and leave to cool for several minutes.
Step 4: Once cool enough to handle, cut an oval shape in the top. Carefully remove the skin and scoop out the potato with a spoon but don’t cut all the way through. Pop the potato flesh into a bowl.
Step 5: Add half of each cheese and 2/3 of the bacon to the bowl with the potato flesh and season then stir to mix.
Step 6: Split the mixture into four and put back into the potato skins then cook for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and add the rest of the cheese and bacon on top of each potato then sprinkle with fresh chives and Greek yoghurt.
Notes
Swap out the bacon for pancetta for an Italian style version!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 568Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 2272mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 24g
