Air Fryer Potato Skins
Air Fryer Potato Skins
Potato skins are a bar snack: crisp floury baking potato shells loaded with melted cheddar and bacon, finished with cold sour cream and green onion. The dish goes back to American restaurant chains in the 1980s, when kitchens started serving the skins left over from making baked or stuffed potatoes instead of throwing them away. It stuck around because the contrast works — hot and crunchy against cold and creamy.
The air fryer suits this dish well. The whole potatoes cook fast, the hollowed-out shells crisp in a few minutes, and there’s no deep-frying involved. Floury baking potatoes (russet, Maris Piper, King Edward or Bintje) are the right choice here: a starchy potato with pale yellow flesh that holds its shape under the shell and crisps instead of turning soggy.
The shells get filled with shredded cheddar and bacon that’s already been cooked crisp, then go back in for a short second round just to melt the cheese. Sour cream and sliced green onion go on only after the skins come out of the fryer — added while hot, they’d turn the shell soft.
They’re built for sharing: a plate of them next to a game or a gathering, with a bowl of ranch on the side for dipping if you like.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6, as an appetizer (8 skin halves)
The shells
- 900 g floury baking potatoes (russet, Maris Piper, King Edward or Bintje; 4 medium, about 225 g each)
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, or oil spray
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper, ground
- 15 g butter, melted, for brushing (optional)
- a pinch of garlic powder or paprika (optional)
The filling
- 115 g cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 slices cooked bacon (about 60 g), chopped
To serve
- 3 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced (or chives)
- 120 g sour cream, to serve
- ranch dressing, to dip (optional)
Directions
The shells
Wash and dry the potatoes, then prick each one several times with a fork. Air fry at 400°F (204°C) for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once partway through, until a knife slides in easily. (No room in the air fryer, or want to do something else with it instead? Microwave the potatoes 8 to 13 minutes, turning once, or bake them in a regular oven at 450°F (232°C) for 45 to 55 minutes.)
Let the potatoes cool for 5 to 10 minutes, just long enough to handle. Halve each one lengthwise, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving about a 1 cm (½ inch) wall of potato attached to the skin. Save the scooped-out flesh for mash or another use rather than tossing it.
Pat the shells dry, then brush them inside and out with the olive oil, or use an oil spray. Season with the salt and pepper, plus a pinch of garlic powder or paprika if using.
Arrange the shells in a single layer in the air fryer basket, cut-side up, without crowding them — crowded skins steam instead of crisping. Air fry at 400°F (204°C) for 5 to 10 minutes, until the edges turn golden and the surface looks dry rather than wet. This is also the point to brush the insides with melted butter, if using.
The filling
Fill each shell with the shredded cheddar, then the chopped bacon. Don’t overfill, or the cheese spills over the sides as it melts. Air fry at 375°F (191°C) for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
To serve
Let the skins sit off the heat for a minute, then top with the sour cream and green onions or chives — adding these while the skins are still hot softens the crisp shell. Serve right away, with ranch dressing on the side for dipping if you like.
Notes
Keep the skins in a single layer with space between them in the basket. Crowd them and they steam instead of crisping.
Cook the bacon fully before it goes on the skins, so the final melt stage stays short. That keeps the cheese from over-browning and the shells from going soft.
Assembled skins without the sour cream and green onions freeze well for up to 6 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the air fryer at 370°F (188°C) for 4 to 5 minutes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 4 days; reheat at 350°F (177°C) for 3 to 4 minutes.
Colby Jack is a fine swap for cheddar if that’s what’s on hand.
See Also
