Bloomin’ Loaded Baked Potatoes

Your boring baked potato just got all kinds of sexy with this Bloomin’ Loaded Baked Potatoes recipe!  Crispy-skinned potato wedges all covered in melty cheese and crispy bacon.  Yeah, life just got a whole lot tastier!

I’m sure at some point in your lives, you’ve had some facet of a “Bloomin’ Onion” either from Outback Steakhouse or some other restaurant.  And even if you haven’t, you’ve at least heard of them. Right? So these bloomin’ onions were cut in a way that, when batter dipped and deep fried, would ‘bloom’ in the hot oil, thus making the onion look like a blooming flower.

This recipe is my ‘take’ on those deliciously bad-for-you onion petals.  Let’s face it – if it’s fried, it’s a safe bet it’s gonna be delicious. But I didn’t want to fry anything because I wanted to take off the extra pounds I put on this past year, and I also wanted to make it out of potatoes.

When it comes to making those onions, they are pretty straightforward, but I wasn’t 100% sure about the potatoes.  I mean, I know I had to cut the top off and then cut the sides, as I show in the picture below, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the middle pieces to bloom. So I turned to Google and found the trick here for getting the middle part of the potato to ‘bloom’.

1. When you cut your first one, go slow and pay attention. The biggest thing is, when you insert the thin-bladed paring knife, do not push it all the way through and let it come out the other side. Just make rings – think like a bullseye.
2. The other important thing is when you flip it over and start to cut the ‘petals’, you need to keep the bottom uncut – leave about a 1″ rectangle strip alone. Other than that, it’s super simple.

3. Once they are all cut, just place them oval-ring side up, drizzle some oil and salt over them (you could even add garlic butter if you want), and bake. 
4. After about 45-55 minutes in the oven, the potatoes will be crispy on the outside, and the exposed flesh will have a slight burn to it in some spots.  They should feel tender to the touch.
5. At that point, to make them loaded, just add some cheese and crispy bacon on top, then pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to melt.

What’s funny is he’s more of a sweet potato lover than a regular spud, but when I make these, he inhales them.

Anyway, to you newbies, welcome again!  I’m thrilled you found me! And to my long-time family members – I’d be lost without you guys!  So next time you want to make some taters, give these a shot; however, I will warn you – you may never make baked potatoes again any other way than this!

Bloomin’ Loaded Baked Potatoes

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Your boring baked potato just got all kinds of sexy with this Bloomin’ Loaded Baked Potatoes recipe!  Crispy-skinned potato wedges all covered in melty cheese and crispy bacon.  Yeah, life just got a whole lot tastier!

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large Russet baking potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1–2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 slices crispy bacon, crumbled
• 4–5 slices of cheddar cheese, cut into smaller pieces
• Green onions for garnish
• Sour cream

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F, rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. Turn one of the potatoes on its side and cut off the top portion of it about a 1/4” from the top creating an oval slice on the top.
3. Using a paring knife (small thin blade) insert it in the top of the potato making small rings – space them out about 1/4” apart. You want insert the blade almost all the way down to the bottom of the potato but do not go all the way through the other side.
4. Next, turn the potato over on the cut side and taking the tip of a sharp knife make cuts starting all the way around. *IMPORTANT – looking at your potato leave a 1” rectangular piece uncut – this is what will help “bloom” your potato.
5. Flip the potato back over and repeat the above steps on the remaining ones.
6. Place the cut potatoes (oval ring cut side facing up) on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt.
7. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven, drizzle the tops with more olive oil and bake for 10 minutes more.
8. Remove from the oven and carefully insert the cheese slices into the wedges of potatoes being careful not to pry them apart. Add the bacon and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
9. Plate and top with green onions and sour cream on the side.

Notes

This can be done exactly the same with Sweet Potatoes too!

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