If you’re a fan of hearty, flavor-packed appetizers that steal the spotlight at any gathering, then get ready to meet your new obsession: Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo. They’re crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and loaded with spicy sausage and gooey cheddar cheese.
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Potato skins are a food you might bypass making at home, especially given their more famous sister spud—the rich and creamy twice-baked potato. If crispy, crunchy and oozing with chorizo and cheese is your thing, then look no further than these no-fuss skins as your new go-to appetizer or anytime snack.
I’ve left the door wide open for customization. Pick your level of heat when it comes to mild versus spicy chorizo, and feel free to sub Monterey jack for cheddar. And now, let the scooping and stuffing begin!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Minimal ingredients. These oven-baked potato skins have just 6 ingredients.
- Serves a crowd.
- Make-ahead. You can make these potato skins the day before and pop them in the oven or under the broiler to reheat.
- Bursting with bold flavors.
- Russet potatoes: These work best because they have a starchier, firmer interior and thick skins (perfect for sturdy, scooped-out potatoes). Scrub and dry the potatoes thoroughly before baking to ensure a crispy skin. Swap: Sweet potatoes work, too.
- Unsalted butter: Brushing the potato skins with melted butter will help them get all beautifully browned (and add flavor!). You can melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts.
- Chorizo: Go with spicy, go with mild or pick something in between…it’s up to you how hot you want these loaded potato skins to be. Swap: Any ground meat will work, from sweet or spicy Italian sausage to ground beef or ground turkey.
- Cheddar cheese: Feel free to buy pre-grated cheddar cheese (and use whatever one you like). You can swap in a different cheese, too, like pepper jack, Monterey jack or even mozzarella.
- Sour cream: A classic garnish for potato skins, adding a cool and creamy contrast to the spicy chorizo and cheesy filling. For a lighter option, you can use Greek yogurt.
- Scallions: Another optional garnish, but the onion-garlic bite of scallions is a welcome addition here. You’ll want to thinly slice just the green tops.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Heat the oven. Turn the oven to 400ºF and prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Place them onto the oven rack (yes, right on it—this will allow for even cooking) and bake for about 50 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool. Turn the oven to broil.
- Slice and scoop. Once you can handle the potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise. Now, here’s how to scoop a potato without breaking the skin: Leaving a 1/4-inch border on all sides and on the bottom, use a spoon to gently scoop the center of the potato out. Be sure not to scoop all the way down to the bottom of the potato. Place the scooped portions into a separate bowl for another use.
- Broil. Brush both sides of the potato skins with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place onto a baking sheet, broil for 2 minutes, flip and broil for a couple of minutes more. Keep an eye on the potato skins: Broiling is temperamental and can cause burning in a flash.
- Cook the chorizo. In a large frying pan, cook the chorizo—breaking it up with a wooden spoon—until browned and crispy. You don’t need to add any extra oil here. The chorizo has enough of it!
- Fill the potatoes. Divide the chorizo among the potato skins and top with the grated cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Personally, I’ll just eat three of these and call it a meal. You can enjoy them as-is, but I especially like to top these crispy potato skins with sour cream and chopped scallions. Feeling fancy? You could absolutely make salsa and/or guacamole to go on top (store-bought works, too.).
- If your chorizo has a casing, remove it. This allows you to easily crumble the sausage. Here’s how to easily remove it: Use a sharp knife to make a slit along the length of the sausage. Peel back the casing carefully, working your way around the sausage until the casing is completely removed.
- After scooping out the potatoes, you’ll have leftover cooked potatoes that absolutely shouldn’t go to waste. You can make them into mashed potatoes, turn them into gnocchi or mashed potato pancakes, or even whip up cheesy mashed potato waffles.
- You’ll want to trim off the (often wrinkly) ends of the scallions before thinly slicing them. Instead of a knife, you can use sharp kitchen shears to cut the scallion greens into small pieces.
You can make the potato skins up to a few days ahead (storing them in an airtight container in the fridge), reheating them in the oven or under the broiler.
Alternatively, you could bake the potatoes a few days ahead, then scoop, fill and broil when you’re ready to serve them.
Looking to switch up your potato skins game? Try out these delicious recipe variations for a fun twist on the classic appetizer!
- Vegetarian – Skip the chorizo and instead, fill the potato skins with a mixture of black beans, corn, diced bell peppers and shredded cheese. Top with salsa, guacamole, and a dollop of sour cream for a delicious vegetarian twist.
- BBQ Chicken Potato Skins – Store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken (my favorite time-saving trick!) tossed in barbecue sauce, then top with shredded cheddar cheese, diced red onions and chopped cilantro.
- Tex-Mex Potato Skins – Cooked ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, black beans, diced tomatoes and shredded Mexican cheese blend. Top with diced avocado, sliced jalapenos and a drizzle of hot sauce.
- Loaded Breakfast Potato Skins – Scrambled eggs, cooked breakfast sausage, crispy bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. Top with chopped scallions and a dollop of sour cream for a hearty morning meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cooked, crumbled sausage, cheese, crispy bacon and chili would all be excellent toppings of loaded potato skins. I like garnishing potato skins with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or hot sauce.
You can bake a potato at 400ºF in the air fryer (it will take less time than an oven, so check its doneness more frequently). You can also melt the cheesy potato skins in the air fryer, though it won’t fit all of the potato skins at once.
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Ingredients
- 8 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 pound raw chorizo, casing removed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream (for garnish)
- Chopped scallions, green parts only (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Pierce potatoes several times with fork then place them directly on the oven rack and bake them for about 50 minutes, or until they’re easily pierced with a knife.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool. Set the oven to broil.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving about a 1/4-inch ring around each potato. (Reserve flesh for another use, such as gnocchi or mashed potatoes.)
- Brush both sides of the potato skins with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Position the skins, skin side up, on a cookie sheet. Broil for 2 minutes, flip, then broil an additional 2 minutes. (Watch the skins carefully to ensure they don’t burn.) Remove the skins from the oven.
- Sauté the chorizo in a large, non-stick frying pan set over medium-low heat, using a wooden spatula or spoon to break it up into smaller pieces, for about 10 minutes or until it’s fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to portion out the cooked chorizo into the prepared potato skins. Top each potato skin with 2 tablespoons cheese and broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted.
- Remove the potato skins from the oven and garnish with sour cream and chopped scallions. Serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- After scooping out the potatoes, you’ll have leftover cooked potatoes that absolutely shouldn’t go to waste. You can make them into mashed potatoes, turn them into gnocchi or mashed potato pancakes, or even whip up cheesy mashed potato waffles.
- You’ll want to trim off the (often wrinkly) ends of the scallions before thinly slicing them. Instead of a knife, you can use sharp kitchen shears to cut the scallion greens into small pieces.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe technique adapted from Chow.
I made these tonight and my family devoured them!
Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Becky!
Get in my belly!
Made these for Christmas brunch. Delicious. Everyone loved them and they were super easy to make… baked potatoes a few days in advance and assembled the day of… very very good.
Now I am SO wanting some of these as a late night snack!!
If I had my way (read if I had a super metabolism) I would eat chorizo everyday, it’s so delicious! these look incredible!
i use vegan chorizo and its not greasy and has good texture
I don’t cook potatoes as often as I should but this is looking very encouraging…
I would have never thought of adding chorizo to potato skins! Great idea!
When I saw this on Instagram, I was floored…what a BRILLIANT idea to put chorizo in twice baked potatoes! YUM, YUM!
I need more potato skins in my life. This look amazing, kelly!
THIS needs to be traveling down my esophagus.
yum! Love chorizo too and especially in these! Just pinned them
Yes please! I am a potato skin girl..love the chorizo!