Potato Boats

Potato Boats are a fun and tasty twist on a classic baked potato. The flesh is combined with cheese, bacon, and more and then baked in the crispy potato skin!

Prep Time15

Bake Time, divided1 25

Total Time1 40

Servings:

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes
¾ cup bacon or, ground sausage, cooked and crumbled or 12 slices, divided
¼ cup butter
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
½ brick (8 oz) cream cheese softened
½ cup sour cream or flavored sour cream
¼ cup milk or cream, until reach desired consistency
1 small onion chopped fine
2 tablespoon garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Outside of Potato (Optional)

5-6 tablespoons olive oil 2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried rosemary optional
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the potatoes, then pierce each potato 2 to 3 times with a knife or fork on all sides.
If desired, Combine salt, pepper, rosemary, and/or thyme in a small bowl and sprinkle all over a cutting board. Brush the potatoes with olive oil and then roll each potato on different covered sections on cutting board until covered in spice mixture.
Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack or a baking sheet and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until fork tender.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool until they are safe to handle. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp and crumble it. Reserve ¼ cup for top. Sauté the chopped onion in a tablespoon or two of bacon grease until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Slice each potato in half lengthwise to create 8 potato boats. I find an oven mitt works great to hold the potato if it is too hot to handle. Using a spoon, carefully scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl, leaving about ¼ to ½ inch of potato around the edges so the skins remain sturdy enough to hold the filling.
Add to the large bowl of scooped potato, cooked bacon, sautéed onion, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, milk or cream, salt, pepper, butter, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese to the bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or mash and stir until smooth and creamy. Taste mixture and adjust as necessary.
Arrange the potato skins in a large baking dish. Place mashed potatoes into a resealable bag and push to the bottom corner. Cut corner off with scissors. Squeeze out mashed potato into the potato pressing gently to fill every corner. If no bag available simply spoon potato mixture back inside the potato or pipe. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheddar cheese and additional bacon crumbles.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted. If desired, switch the oven to broil for 2 to 5 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, if desired. Let the potato boats cool for a few minutes before serving, then enjoy!

Notes

Gummy filling is usually caused by overmixing the potatoes, which releases too much starch. For a light, fluffy filling, use russet or Idaho potatoes and mix only until the ingredients are just combined.
Leave about ¼ to ½ inch of potato inside each shell so they're sturdy enough to hold the filling without tearing during the second bake.
Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag and snip off one corner to create a simple piping bag for cleaner, more even filling.

Nutrition