Crispy Potato Skins

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Crispy Potato Skins

Ingredient Notes

Butter:

I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level separately with sea salt. Melt it gently rather than at high heat, you just want it liquid, not foaming or starting to brown. Browned butter would change the flavour profile here, and more importantly it’ll burn quickly at 200°C during the second round in the oven.

Garlic powder:

Garlic powder distributes far more evenly through the butter mixture than fresh garlic, which tends to burn in the oven and turn bitter. It gives a consistent, toasty garlic note across every skin without the risk of any charred spots. Make sure yours isn’t old and clumped, fresh garlic powder makes a noticeable difference.

Sour cream:

Use full-fat sour cream here. The higher fat content keeps it thick and stable and it holds up better when it sits next to warm skins on the serving platter. Stir it gently before serving to loosen it to a spreadable consistency, but don’t overwork it. Over-mixing breaks down the protein network and releases the trapped liquid (whey), which makes it thin and watery rather than creamy.

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Ingredients

potato skins, quartered from 6 baked potatoes (see hash browns recipe)
40g butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
sea salt and white pepper, to season
200g sour cream
1 bunch chives, finely snipped

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Pastry brush
Baking tray and baking paper
Small bowl
Shallow serving dish
Serving platter

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan forced (390°F). Place quartered potato skins on a large baking tray lined with baking paper, skin side up.
Combine butter, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
Brush the skins with half of the butter mixture and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and turn skins over. Brush the inside of the skins with the remaining butter mixture.
Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, until very crisp and golden.
Gently mix the sour cream to a spreadable consistency.
Place in a shallow serving dish and make an indent in the centre. Sprinkle with the chives.
Place the skins on a serving platter with the sour cream for dipping.

Notes

Chef Tips

Dry the skins out before baking

Any residual moisture in the skins when they go into the oven will create steam, and steam prevents crisping. After scooping the potato flesh, pat the skins with a paper towel if needed. If they’ve been sitting in the fridge, give them a few minutes at a low temperature to dehydrate before you start brushing with the butter mixture. Dry skins crisp up in a fraction of the time.

Give them space on the tray

Crowding the baking tray is one of the most common reasons potato skins don’t get properly crisp. When skins are packed in too tightly, the moisture they release during cooking has nowhere to go and they end up steaming rather than roasting. Spread them out in a single layer with a gap between each one and you’ll get a much more even, deeply golden crunch.

Storage

Store leftover skins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, put them back in the oven at 180°C for 5 to 8 minutes rather than the microwave, which will soften them straight away. Keep the sour cream stored separately and stir before serving.

FAQs

Can I make potato skins without the hash browns recipe?

Yes. Bake whole potatoes at 200°C for 50 to 60 minutes until completely cooked through, then scoop the flesh out leaving roughly 5mm attached to the skin. The scooped flesh works well for mash, gnocchi or soup, so nothing goes to waste.

Can I load these with toppings?

Definitely. Crispy bacon, grated cheddar and pickled jalapenos all work really well. If you’re adding cheese, scatter it over in the last 5 minutes of the second bake so it melts without burning. Keep the toppings restrained though, the crispy skin is the point.

Can I prepare these ahead of time?

You can do the first 15-minute bake earlier in the day and hold the skins at room temperature. Do the second bake just before serving so they come out fresh and crisp. This approach works well if you’re feeding a crowd and need to stagger your prep.