Loaded Baked Potato
Fluffy baked potato topped with melted cheddar, crispy bacon, sour cream, and fresh chives. Ready in under 1 hour with minimal hands-on time.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 485
- Protein
- 18g
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 4 slices bacon
- ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 400°F and wait until the indicator light tells you it has finished preheating, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Scrub each potato under cool running water with your hands to remove all dirt, then pat completely dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- 3
Poke each potato 6–8 times all over with a fork, pushing straight down about 1/4 inch, to let steam escape while baking.
- 4
Place the potatoes directly on the middle oven rack (not on a baking sheet) so hot air can circulate underneath them.
- 5
Bake the potatoes until a fork slides through the thickest part with no resistance, about 40–45 minutes.
- 6
Lay the bacon strips flat in a large skillet without overlapping, in a single layer, and place the skillet on the stove.
- 7
Turn the heat to medium and cook, listening for a steady sizzle and watching the strips turn from pink to brown, about 8–10 minutes.
- 8
Transfer each bacon strip to a clean plate lined with paper towels to cool for 2 minutes.
- 9
Once cooled and crispy, crumble each bacon strip by breaking it with your hands into small, bite-sized pieces into a small bowl.
- 10
Remove the potatoes from the oven using an oven mitt and set them on a cutting board to cool for 2 minutes, until you can touch them briefly without flinching.
- 11
Cut each potato lengthwise down the center from end to end, then gently push the sides of each potato toward the center to open it and expose the fluffy interior.
- 12
Place 0.5 tablespoon of butter into each open potato, pushing it down into the hot interior so it melts and coats the insides.
- 13
Sprinkle 0.375 cup of shredded cheddar cheese evenly over each potato, covering the entire open surface in a single layer.
- 14
Divide the crumbled bacon evenly between the two potatoes, scattering it across the top of the melted cheese.
- 15
Top each potato with 0.25 cup of sour cream in a small mound in the center of the open side.
- 16
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chives evenly across each potato, over the sour cream and toppings.
Tools you’ll need
- oven
- fork
- large skillet
- paper towels
- cutting board
- oven mitt
- knife
- small bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
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