Easy Crispy Garlic & Herb Baked Potato Skins Recipe

Crispy Garlic & Herb Baked Potato Skins

1 dozen russet potatoes

1 cup of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1tbsp herbes de Provence

Salt

Fresh Rosemary Twig

Garnish 

Bacon bits

Shredded cheese ( I used cheddar & Monterey Jack)

Sour cream

Green onions (Cilantro or Parsley are fine too)

(Or other toppings as desired)

Here’s what I did. I baked the potatoes the night before.  Sliced them and then refrigerated them.  (Do not store baked potatoes in aluminum foil or leave out overnight.  If baked, refrigerate or freeze the potato skin shells until you are ready to fill and crisp the skins.)

1. Clean and scrub the potatoes.  
2. Brush the potatoes with olive oil and a touch of salt.  Puncture the potatoes with a fork. 
3. Bake the potatoes at 375 for about 50 minutes or until tender enough to slice with a knife.
4. Let cool. Remove the soft center leaving at least a 1/4 inch of flesh inside so that the potato skins retain their shape.
5. Reserved the potato centers to make mashed potatoes that can be re-added to the skins for twice-baked potatoes.  (I filled about 12 of my skins with the mashed potatoes before topping with cheese and bacon bits.)
6. Mix the olive oil with the minced garlic and the Herbes de Provence.
7. Brush the garlic-herbed oil onto the skins.  
8. Bake cut side down on a baking sheet in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. Add a twig of rosemary to the pan to infuse the baked skins.
9. Remove from oven.  Turn the skins over, brush with remaining garlic-herbed oil. Return to oven for 10 more minutes.
10. Remove from oven. Fill some of the skins with the mashed potatoes (if desired).  Fill the other skins with shredded cheese. Sprinkle the skins with bacon bits. Sprinkle cheese and bacon on the mashed potatoes ones too, if desired.  
11. Return the skins to the oven for another 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.
12. For a crispier outer rim, you can place under the broiler for about 2 mins. Just be careful not to let the potatoes burn.
13. Remove from oven.  Cool slightly.  Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin ( if desired) and garnish with green onions, parsley or cilantro.  ( I used cilantro in the skins pictured given the cheese blend so used, but any little bit of green looks nice!)

Serve warm.  Made 24 skins and mashed potatoes to serve 6-8.