Description
Loaded Baked Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar deliver hearty, satisfying comfort. Creamy potatoes and smoky bacon make every bite count.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 large Russet potatoes
- 1–2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6–8 strips bacon
Supporting Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Garnish/Toppings:
- Sour cream
- Fresh chives or green onions
Instructions
- Warm your oven to exactly 400°F. Thoroughly wash and dry 4 large Russet potatoes, ensuring no moisture remains.
- Pierce each potato 4-5 times with a fork to create steam vents. Massage 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil across potato surfaces, coating evenly.
- Generously season potatoes with salt and pepper. Position them on a wire rack atop a lined baking sheet to encourage crisp skin development.
- Roast potatoes for precisely 1 hour at 400°F, checking for tender interiors by piercing with a fork.
- Meanwhile, arrange 6-8 bacon strips on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake alongside potatoes for 25 minutes until completely crisp.
- After potato cooking completes, slice each lengthwise using a sharp knife. Gently press potato ends to create an opening.
- Fluff potato interiors with a fork. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese across each potato’s surface.
- Return potatoes to 400°F oven for 3-5 minutes until cheese melts completely and becomes bubbly.
- Crumble cooled bacon into small pieces. Top each potato with 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon.
- Add 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon diced chives to each potato. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve potatoes immediately while cheese remains melted and toppings are fresh.
Notes
- Always choose large, starchy potatoes like Russet for the best fluffy interior and crispy skin texture.
- Letting the potatoes sit on a wire rack ensures even cooking and prevents soggy bottoms that can happen when they touch a baking sheet directly.
- Cooking bacon in the oven alongside the potatoes saves time and creates perfectly crisp bacon with minimal mess in your kitchen.
- For a lighter version, swap regular bacon for turkey bacon and use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to reduce calories while keeping great flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg