Fun, Easy, and Impressive
Hey Friends! Today, we’re making a baked potato bar. I always like to start out with the ‘why’ for the post. Three words: baked potato toppings! There’s nothing earth shattering about the flavor of a Russet potato. Alone, potatoes are pretty low on the Richter scale of flavor. But, add all the tasty goodies to the top and you have one brilliant baker.
A baked potato bar is a fun, easy, and impressive way to enjoy a loaded baked potato. The recipe below is enough to serve four baked potatoes. For a larger gathering, just make more of everything. Customize your baked potato bar, be creative!
What You Need to Make a Baked Potato Bar
- Classic Baked Potato – four moderate sized Russet potatoes, we’re going to use the fast method to make easy ‘baked’ potatoes.
- Fresh Broccoli – Roasted in the oven with olive oil and salt, so good!
- Bacon – A few strips of thick sliced bacon. Made in the oven, not on the stove top. We’re keeping the mess to a minimum.
- Avocados – Creamy and colorful, avocados are a great, healthy topping. Find a ripe avocado.
- Green Onions – A classic tater topper. A few stalks of green onions will bring color, a bit of a bite, and a little crunch.
- Bacon and Ham – Protein for the potato. Bacon is another classic, crispy topping that’s traditionally paired with potatoes. Diced ham is a nice alternative.
- Cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese, smoked gouda, and gorgonzola…. yes! Shredded and crumbled.
- Buffalo Sauce – Spice up your potato! I would pair this with that sharp cheddar, a bit of gorgonzola, ham, and French fried onions.
- French Fried Onions – Speaking of which! These are tasty, crunchy, and salty. So good.
- Butter, Sour Cream, Salt, and Pepper – Standard and essential to any good potato. I use butter, salt, and pepper as the foundation to build any combination of toppings.
- Hot Fudge – What?! Yes… give it a try. Chocolate covered potato chips were earth shattering too. Drizzle a bit of hot fudge, topped with a dash of sea salt…. or get fancy with flaked finishing salt.
- Lots of small serving dishes in various sizes and shapes.
How To Make a Baked Potato Bar
Prepare the toppings first, then we’ll make the potatoes last so they can be nice and piping hot when served. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Next, place foil on a baking sheet with sides. Place bacon strip on the baking sheet.
Wash and cut the broccoli into bite size pieces. Coat the broccoli in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the broccoli on the other end of the baking sheet from the bacon. Bake broccoli and bacon for 15 minutes. Turn the broccoli halfway through the cooking time. After 15 minutes, remove the broccoli, but flip the bacon and bake for another 5 minutes, if needed.
Place the broccoli in a serving bowl. Allow the bacon to rest on a paper towel. Then, carefully chop it into smaller crumbly pieces.
While the bacon and broccoli are baking, cut the ham into small, diced cubes. Slice the green onions thinly on an angle. To prepare the avocado, cut the avocado in half. Give the pit side a squeeze until the pit falls out. Run a spoon between the flesh and peel to remove the avocado. Cut the avocado into cubes.
Next, grate the cheeses and crumble the gorgonzola. Spoon the butter, Buffalo sauce, and sour cream into serving bowls. Put the French fried onions, salts and pepper into servings bowls.
How To ‘Bake’ Potatoes
I love a good baked potato, but I don’t always have time to wait for the potato to truly bake in an oven. For the baked potato bar, I’m taking the express approach and using the microwave.
First, give your spuds a good scrub. Pat them dry. Then, pierce each with a fork. Rub each with olive oil and sprinkle all parts of the skins with sea salt. Place each potato on a microwave safe dish and heat for 5 minutes.
Check the tenderness of the potato with a fork. The fork should give easily. If it does not, flip the potato over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. If you want to cook all four potatoes at once, microwave them for 5 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Hot Potato!
After the potatoes are done cooking, cut each down the center. Carefully using a folded paper towel, gently push in on both ends to open the potato. Place them on a serving plate.
Chocolate Covered Baked Potato?
I realize this won’t be for everyone, but if we can enjoy chocolate covered potato chips, why not try hot fudge on a salty baked potato. I’m not big on sweets, so this mix of a mild potato with a semi-sweet, hot fudge, and a dash of salt is right in my swim lane. Gently and slowly heat the fudge in the microwave, 10 seconds at a time, stirring between until it can be scooped and poured.
A Baked Potato Bar
The possibilities for items on this baked potato bar are limitless. See the tips, tricks, and FAQ section below for more ideas. Once all the items are chopped, sliced, or baked, organize your serving dishes and plates into a fun arrangement. I have a collection of dishes. If you don’t collect plates like I do, use ramekins, small salad bowls, salad plates, small mixing bowls, gravy bowls, and other small dishes – be creative, there are no rules!
All the Possibilities
The fun part of a baked potato bar is the many combinations, and it allows each person to customize their own baker.
Try ham, cheddar cheese, green onions, bacon, sour cream, and avocados. Or bacon, gorgonzola, French fried onions, and Buffalo sauce. And, for those with a slight sweet tooth and those who are brave… try a potato with butter, a dollop of hot fudge, sprinkled with salt flakes (finishing salt), and chips of chocolate!
Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
- Here are additional amazing toppings to try:
- Ballpark Baked Potato: chili dog sauce, pickled onions, spicy mustard.
- Pizza Potato: marinara sauce, sliced Buffalo mozzarella or shredded mozzarella and with pizza toppings.
- Cordon Bleu Baker: Swiss cheese to go with the spicy mustard, cubed ham, and bacon.
- Taco Tater: ground beef or pulled pork, chopped white onions, black olives, diced tomatoes to go with the cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
- Entertaining? Slice and dice all the refrigerated ingredients, placing them in bowls the night before. This leaves the bacon and broccoli, which can be done together and in parallel to cooking the potatoes the day of to maintain optimal flavor.
- Have leftovers? Use leftover toppings on salads, or quickly prepare additional potatoes for a second round. Toss extra bacon, broccoli, ham, and butter with egg noodles. Or toss leftover meat, cheese, and onion toppings between two flour tortillas for a tasty quesadilla served with extra sour cream.
Baked Potato Bar
Equipment
- cutting board
- paring knife
- baking sheet with sides
- foil
- microwave
- oven
- cheese grater
Ingredients
- 5-6 slices raw bacon
- 2 cups fresh broccoli
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil (broccoli and baked potatoes)
- 3 Tablespoons sea salt + additional to sprinkle on potato skins
- 1 cup smoked gouda cheese (4 ounce block)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounce block)
- 1 cup gorgonzola cheese (4 ounce block)
- 3-4 stalks green onions
- 1 cup pre-cooked ham
- 1 ripe avocado
- 4 5-6 ounce Russet potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup hot fudge
- 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter (cut into slices or room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon flaked salt (optional) – this is strong
Instructions
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 425 °F
- Bacon:Â To prepare the bacon spread the pieces out on a foil lined baking sheet with sides. Place the bacon on the middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Place the fully cooked bacon on a paper towel to drain off excess grease. Chop the bacon into small crumbles and place in a serving bowl.Note: If you have room, bake the bacon and broccoli at the same time.
- Broccoli:Â Cut off the broccoli tops, or use precut, pre-washed broccoli. Drain well. Cut them into small bit size pieces. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in an oven safe dish and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Turn half way through cooking.
- Cheese:Â Shred the cheddar and Gouda. Crumble the gorgonzola. Place each cheese in serving bowls.
- Green Onions:Â Cut off any of the wilted green tops. Thin slice the green onions. To add visual interest, try cutting them on an angle. Very thin sliced. Place the green onions in a serving bowl.
- Ham:Â Cube up the pre-cooked ham in to small 1/4" x 1/4" cubes. Place the cubed ham in a serving bowl.
- Avocado:Â Cut the avocados around the pit. Give the avocado a squeeze to remove the pit. Using a spoon, slide it around the avocado between the flesh and the peel to remove the flesh in one whole piece. Slice the avocado into pieces and place the cubed avocado in a serving bowl.
- Potatoes: Wash each potato. Pat dry, then pierce each with a fork. Coat each with olive oil and sprinkle all sides with sea salt. Place the potatoes in a glass, microwave safe dish. Microwave each individual potato on high for 4-5 minutes. If cooking all 4 potatoes at the same time, heat on high for 5 minutes, flip and cook for another 5 minutes.Check the potatoes for doneness by piercing them with a fork. The fork will go in easily and the potato should feel nice and soft. If they feel hard at all, pop them back in the microwave for a bit.When the potatoes are done, cut each down the middle. Carefully push in both ends to open the potato. If the potatoes are too hot to touch, use a paper towel folded to grab and push in the ends.
- Hot Fudge: Place the hot fudge in a microwave safe bowl. Gently and slowly heat the fudge until it is a soft, spoonable texture. I recommend heating it 10 second, stir, and repeat until you reach the desired consistency.
- Prepare the Potato Bar! Place all the ingredients in bowls on a tray or in a decorative layout directly on the table or serving area. Serve immediately.
