If you love bold, crowd-pleasing appetizers, these Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo will become a staple. Crispy on the outside, tender inside, and packed with spicy chorizo and melted cheddar, they make a perfect starter, snack, or party plate.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo
- Kelly’s Recipe Tips
- How to Make Ahead of Time
- Recipe Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Appetizers You’ll Love
- Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo Recipe
Potato skins might seem like extra work compared with a classic twice-baked potato, but these are easy and worth the few extra steps. They deliver great texture: crisp, golden shells filled with savory chorizo and gooey cheese. Best of all, the recipe is flexible—adjust the heat of the chorizo or swap cheeses to suit your taste.
Customize as you like—use mild or spicy chorizo, substitute Monterey Jack for cheddar, or top with your favorite garnishes. Ready to scoop and stuff?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. The core recipe uses just a few pantry-friendly items.
- Feeds a crowd. Makes plenty for parties or sharing.
- Make-ahead friendly. Prepare ahead and reheat to serve.
- Big, bold flavor. Spicy chorizo and melted cheddar create a satisfying bite.
Ingredients
- Russet potatoes: Starchy potatoes with thick skins work best—scrub and dry them before baking for crispness. Swap: Sweet potatoes can be used, too.
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter brushed on the skins helps them brown and improves flavor.
- Chorizo: Choose mild or spicy depending on how much heat you want. Swap: Ground pork, Italian sausage, beef, or turkey can be used instead.
- Cheddar cheese: Shredded cheddar melts well; you can substitute pepper jack, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella.
- Sour cream: A cooling garnish—Greek yogurt is a lighter alternative.
- Scallions: Thinly sliced green tops add a fresh onion bite for garnish.
See the recipe card below for full quantities and nutrition details.
How to Make Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 400ºF. Prick the potatoes with a fork, place them directly on the oven rack and bake about 50 minutes, until tender. Remove and cool slightly, then set the oven to broil.
- Slice and scoop. Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about a 1/4-inch border and bottom so the skins remain sturdy. Save the scooped potato for another use.
- Broil the shells. Brush both sides of the skins with melted butter, season with salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet and broil 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Watch carefully—broilers can burn food quickly.
- Cook the chorizo. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, break up and cook the chorizo until browned and crisp. The sausage releases enough fat, so no extra oil is needed.
- Fill and melt. Spoon cooked chorizo into each skin, top with shredded cheese, then broil for 4–5 minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles.
I often eat a few of these as a meal, but they’re ideal for sharing. Finish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions. If you like, add salsa or guacamole on the side for extra flavor.
Kelly’s Recipe Tips
- Remove chorizo casing. If your chorizo is in a casing, slice and peel it away so you can crumble the meat while cooking.
- Save the scooped potato flesh. Use it for mashed potatoes, gnocchi, potato pancakes or potato waffles so nothing goes to waste.
- Trim scallions. Cut off the often-wrinkled ends and thinly slice the green tops; kitchen shears make quick work of this.
How to Make Ahead of Time
Make the skins a few days ahead and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven or under the broiler just before serving. You can also bake the potatoes a few days in advance, then scoop, fill and broil when ready.
Recipe Variations
Try these variations to change the flavor profile while keeping the same great texture.
- Vegetarian: Replace chorizo with a seasoned mix of black beans, corn, diced bell pepper and cheese; top with salsa or guacamole.
- BBQ Chicken: Toss shredded rotisserie chicken in barbecue sauce, fill the skins, add cheddar and finish with red onion and cilantro.
- Tex-Mex: Use taco-seasoned ground beef, black beans, diced tomatoes and a Mexican cheese blend; top with avocado and jalapeño slices.
- Breakfast: Fill with scrambled eggs, cooked breakfast sausage or bacon and cheddar for a hearty morning option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Toppings like crumbled sausage, crispy bacon, chili, or different cheeses all work well. Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or hot sauce for contrast.
Yes. Bake potatoes in the air fryer at 400ºF (they’ll cook faster than in an oven). You can also melt the cheese in the air fryer in batches if they don’t all fit at once.
More Appetizers You’ll Love
- Easy Pizza Dough Soft Pretzel Knots
- The Ultimate Sheet Pan Nachos with Chicken
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Whipped Brie Cheese
- Baked Asparagus Fries with Roasted Garlic Aioli
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Baked Potato Skins with Chorizo
Ingredients
- 8 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 pound raw chorizo, casing removed
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream (for garnish)
- Chopped scallions, green parts only (for garnish)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400ºF.
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Pierce potatoes several times with a fork, place directly on the oven rack and bake about 50 minutes or until tender.
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Remove potatoes and cool on a rack. Set oven to broil.
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When cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and scoop out the flesh leaving about a 1/4-inch ring. Reserve the flesh for another use.
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Brush both sides with melted butter, season with salt and pepper, place skin side up on a sheet and broil 2 minutes, flip and broil another 2 minutes. Watch carefully.
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Sauté chorizo over medium-low heat, breaking it up, about 10 minutes until cooked. Divide chorizo among the skins, top each with about 2 tablespoons cheese and broil 4–5 minutes until melted.
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Remove from oven, garnish with sour cream and chopped scallions, and serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- Use the reserved potato flesh for mashed potatoes, gnocchi, pancakes or waffles so nothing goes to waste.
- Trim scallion ends before slicing; kitchen shears work well for quick prep.
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Nutrition
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