With melty cheese, spicy roasted jalapenos, crispy bacon, and mini, bite sized potatoes, these Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins are the perfect one bite snack or appetizer for watching the game or your next party.
Football season is back, and that obviously means it’s time for tasty football snacks! My favorite snacks are cheesy, crunchy, and a little spicy, and of course, you can’t forget the bacon. These Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins check all those boxes. Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins are like bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers meets cheesy potato skins, all wrapped up in a tiny bite sized snack. They are so good, you will find yourself just popping them in your mouth one after the next.
These mini Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins are a little time consuming to make, as you need to scoop out each little potato and stuff them individually with filling. But the recipe makes quite a few, and they are well worth the time and effort. You can even freeze these before the final bake to have them on hand whenever a craving strikes. With the melty cheese, spicy jalapeno, and crispy bacon, these mini potato skins are the perfect appetizer or snack that are sure to be a win!
How Do You Make Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins?
Making these Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins is a little time consuming, but overall it is a fairly simple process. There just are a few steps:
- Bake the Potatoes: Coat the potatoes in oil and salt, then spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake at 400° until fork tender. I also halved a jalapeno and roasted it with the potatoes, to give it that smoky roasted flavor. While the potatoes are baking, I like to cook up and crumble the bacon.
- Scoop Out Potatoes: After the potatoes are cooked, let them cool slightly so you can handle them. Cut each in half. Then using a small melon baller or teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop out the middle of each potato, leaving just about a ¼ inch of flesh. At this stage, I like to turn the potatoes each cut side down on the baking sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes. This helps the potato skins get crispier on the outside.
- Mix the Cheese Mixture: Mix together chopped roasted jalapenos, softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and the spices to make the filling.
- Stuff & Bake: To stuff these Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins, I used a small teaspoon measuring spoon and scooped the filling mixture into each potato. You could also use a zip top or pastry bag and pipe a small amount in each potato. Then sprinkle the crumbled bacon of the top of each potato, and bake for a final 10 – 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
These Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins are perfect for freezing too. Just make them as written above, but stop just before putting them in the oven for the final time. Then flash freeze them spread out on a baking sheet, and transfer to a freezer bag or container. When you are ready to bake, just take as many out as you need and stick them in the oven directly from frozen. You may need to add about 5 minutes on to the baking time, just keep an eye on them.
Do I Need to Use Baby Potatoes for These Mini Potato Skins?
I have been obsessed with little bite size potatoes lately. I always have some on hand. We usually use them to make crispy smashed potatoes (a recipe that I need to share soon as it is always a crowd pleaser), but this time I thought I would do something a little different. The tiny bite sized potatoes are the perfect vehicle for making these mini potato skins. They get crispy on the outside, while staying soft and buttery on the inside. Plus, they are just the right size for popping in your mouth in one bite.
You can use the little Yukon gold baby potatoes, mini red potatoes, the tiny purple ones, or a combination of each. I like a variety as the different colors make these Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins extra fun. However, if you can’t find small baby potatoes, you can definitely make these with something else. I would recommend smaller Yukon gold or red potatoes as they have a buttery soft flesh and tender skin.
If you use larger potatoes, keep in mind that your baking time will be longer. You may also need to increase the amount of filling by half or double to fill the larger potatoes.
Other Game Day Recipes, Appetizers, & Snacks
Looking for more of my favorite recipes that would be great for watching the game or just your next party? Here are some of my favorites:
- Mustard Beer Cheese Dip
- Dill Pickle Dip
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Creamy Celery Ranch Slaw
- Oven Baked Crispy Beef and Cheese Tacos
- Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
Stay tuned for more great game day recipes to come!
Jalapeno Popper Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs small baby potatoes
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 jalapenos
- 6 oz bacon
- 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 green onions (chopped)
- sour cream (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- In a medium sized bowl, add potatoes, olive oil, and salt. Mix to coat potatoes evenly.
- Spread potatoes out on a large baking sheet. Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise, and remove seeds if desired. Put jalapenos cut side down on baking sheet with potatoes. Bake for 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, cook bacon in a skillet, crumbling to pieces when cooked.
- Set jalapeno peppers aside. Cut each potato in half. Using a small melon baller or teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop out the middle of each potato, leaving just about a ¼ inch of flesh. Turn the potatoes each cut side down on the baking sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- While potatoes bake, chop jalapenos. I like to use a spoon to remove any charred skin. Mix together roasted jalapenos, softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and the spices to make the filling.
- Remove potatoes from oven, and use a small teaspoon measuring spoon and scoop the filling mixture into each potato. You could also use a zip top or pastry bag and pipe a small amount in each potato. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon of the top of each potato, and bake for a final 10 – 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top potatoes with chopped green onions when just removed from the oven. Add a dollop of sour cream on each potato or serve sour cream on the side for dipping.