French Onion Potato Skins
These French Onion Potato Skins take a well-loved appetizer and give it a fun twist with slow-caramelized onions, melted Gruyère, and a perfectly crispy shell.
Servings: 20 potato skins
Equipment
- 1 large (18x13) baking sheet
- 1 large cooling rack
- 1 Large frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 5 medium size russet potatoes cooked, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 yellow onions finely sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled bacon cooked
- 1 cup gruyere cheese shredded
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- green onions to garnish
- sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Cook the onions: slice onions into similar, thin pieces and set aside.In a large frying pan set to low/medium heat add the olive oil and butter. Once melted add the onions. Cook for 35–45 minutes, stirring gently every 4–5 minutes.Maintain low and slow heat to prevent burning. The onions should reduce significantly and achieve a deep, rich, jammy caramelized color (not black).Sammy's tip: if the onions are browning too quickly, reduce heat to low. If the pan appears dry after 20–25 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of water to prevent sticking.
- Season: once the onions are nearly finished add the garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt and gently stir to combine.Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and bring to a light simmer for 1-2 minutes, just until it has been reduced and the color changes to a deep and dark brown.Turn off the heat.
- Once your onions have cooked preheat your oven to 400 °F.
- Prepare the baking sheet: line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top of the foil-lined sheet.Set aside until ready to use.
- Prep the potatoes: slice each cooked potato horizontally in half, then slice each half horizontally in half again to create four long wedges per potato.Using a small sharp knife or small spoon, gently slice and scoop out the interior potato filling from each wedge. Be careful to leave a thin layer of potato attached to the skin so the wedge maintains its shape. Set the reserved potato filling aside for another use (potato salad, mashed potatoes, etc).
- Bake: place the potato wedges skin-side up (filling side down) onto the wire rack. Lightly spray the entire potato skin surface with cooking spray.Flip the wedges so they are now flesh-side up and lightly spray the interior side with cooking spray then generously season with salt and pepper.Bake for 6–7 minutes until the skins are starting to crisp.This initial baking ensures the potato skins are extra crispy and durable before being loaded with the filling.
- Fill: take the potatoes out of the oven and fill each with about a tablespoon or so of the caramelized onions. Repeat until all of the potaoes have been filled and you have no onions left.Evenly divide and sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese directly over the caramelized onions in each potato skin then add a bit of crumbled bacon to each.See Sammy's Tips above for more a more detailed explanation for this step.
- Bake: return back to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the potato skins are warm throughout.
- Serve: garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream for dipping.
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg
