Extra crispy potato skins loaded with sloppy joes and melted cheese. Two all-American classics in one appetizer!
Happy Friday, folks! For your weekend snack menu (what? You don’t have such menu?), I prepared these amazing potato skins loaded with all-American classic sloppy joes! Can it get any better than this? Hardly.
I’m a meat-and-potato-forever-and-ever kind of girl! Why do you think I married a rancher? For endless supply of beef, of course! Just kidding… maybe not… 🙂
Anyhow, I didn’t reinvent the wheel here. I simply put together two classics into one, and got an amazing appetizer for meat lovers, like myself. The extra crispy potato skins are the best part, but the sloppy joes topping with added cheese are really what make this appetizer.
To make things easier, you can bake the potatoes a day in advance. But I’d cut them and dig out the potatoes while they’re still warm. Trust me, it’s easier that way. Wrap the skins in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use. With the leftover baked potato flesh, you can make mashed potato, or grate them and make hash browns for breakfast, or make these potato croquettes.
As usual, here are step-by-step photos for your viewing pleasure.
Just for fun, I used different colored potatoes here that hubby grew last summer. Well, it was sort of an accident. I realized there were some purples and reds while I was scrubbing them clean, and instead of going back and getting regular russets, I just decided to go with the colored ones.
By the way, have you gotten silicone mats for baking yet? If not, what are you waiting for? They are one of the best inventions out there. Seriously, I use them pretty much every time I put something in the oven. They are so convenient and easy to clean. Get it! Now!
I hope you like some calories, because these are loaded with them! 🙂
Enjoy your weekend!
Sloppy Joes Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 4 medium Russet or any other baking potatoes, scrubbed well
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil, or better yet, bacon drips
- ½ lb 225gr lean ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pierce the potatoes with a fork in a few places and bake them until fork tender, about 40 minutes. Cool the potatoes until they are safe to handle, about 30 minutes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out about 70% of potato, leaving about ¼ inch of flesh on the skin to keep the potato skins sturdy. (This step can be done a day in advance.)
- Brush some vegetable oil (I used bacon drips) on both inside and outside of the potato skins. Place them on baking sheet lined with foil, or silicone mat, cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them and bake another 10 minutes to crisp up.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with minced garlic over medium high heat, breaking the meat as it cooks. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Pour the sauce over the meat and add ¼ cup of water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If needed, add more water for sloppier filling.
- Divide half of the cheese between 8 potato skins, and then divide the sloppy joes filling into the potato skins. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Any ideas on what to do with the scooped-out potato filling?
Hi, Eden! You can make mashed potatoes.
Can you also brush the potatoes with oil and do this bake in advance before the final bake? Thanks 🙂
I love the different colored potatoes Shinee! That makes this recipe. Yum! I am not so much the lover of calories, but they sure love me. (!)
Haha, Allie, calories do love me too! I try to stay away from them, but they sure don’t leave me alone. 🙂 These chips worth it though.
How fun!! Love this idea, and love using different potatoes for a bit of added color. Love it!
Thank you, Patricia!