Potato Skins

These low-FODMAP potato skins fill crisp white-potato shells with cheddar, bacon, and green chives, swapping garlic bulb for garlic-infused oil so you keep the flavor without the fructans.

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr 15 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeNut-free

Ingredients

• 4 medium russet or white potatoes (about 200g / 7 oz each), scrubbed
• 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
• 100g (about 1 cup) grated aged cheddar cheese
• 4 slices plain bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives, or the green tops of scallions
• 1/4 cup (60g) lactose-free sour cream, to serve
• Freshly ground black pepper

Potato and aged cheddar are low-FODMAP in these servings, and only the green parts of the chives or scallions go in. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes if you plan to eat several skins at once.

Instructions

Bake the potatoes

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick each potato all over with a fork so steam can escape.
2. Rub the skins with 1 tbsp of the garlic-infused oil and a little salt, then set them on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a fork slides in easily. Let them cool for about 10 minutes so you can handle them.

Scoop and crisp the shells

1. Halve each potato lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 1/4 inch (6mm) thick. Save the flesh for mashed potatoes or a soup.
2. Brush the inside and outside of each shell with the remaining garlic-infused oil, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the shells to the oven cut side up and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges turn crisp and golden.

Load and melt

1. Fill each shell with grated cheddar and chopped bacon.
2. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cheese has fully melted.
3. Top with chopped chives and a spoonful of lactose-free sour cream. Serve warm.

Tips & Substitutions

• Read the bacon label. Many cured bacons carry added garlic or onion powder. Pick plain bacon with a short ingredient list, or leave it out and add extra cheddar.
• Keep the scooped flesh. The potato you remove is low-FODMAP, so mash it with lactose-free milk or stir it into a chowder rather than throwing it away.
• Oil, not bulb, for garlic. Garlic-infused oil delivers the flavor because the fructans in garlic do not dissolve into oil. Do not substitute garlic powder or fresh cloves.
• Watch the sour cream. Use lactose-free sour cream, since regular sour cream adds lactose. A dollop of lactose-free plain yogurt works too.
• Green tops only. Chives and the green tops of scallions are low-FODMAP, while the white bulb of a scallion or spring onion is not. Chop from the green end.
• Dairy-free swap. A firm lactose-free or plant-based hard cheese melts in place of cheddar if you also need to avoid dairy.

Why This Works

• Potato is a safe base. White and russet potato test as low-FODMAP with no detectable fructans or polyols in standard servings, so the shell needs no swaps.
• Aged cheddar is low in lactose. Hard, aged cheeses lose most of their lactose during production, which keeps a grated handful comfortably low-FODMAP.
• Garlic flavor without the trigger. The fructans in garlic are water-soluble, not oil-soluble, so an infused oil carries the taste while leaving the FODMAP behind.
• Chive greens skip the fructans. The green portions of the onion family stay low-FODMAP even though the white bulbs are high, so green chives season the skins safely.

Storage

Keep leftover loaded skins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes to bring back the crisp edges; the microwave works but leaves them soft. Add the sour cream fresh after reheating rather than storing it on top. Unfilled crisped shells also freeze well for up to 1 month, so bake a batch ahead and load them when needed.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.