A Reuben sandwich ranks high on my list of guilty pleasures. But a sandwich is often too much. Reuben potato skins—happily loaded with corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkaut—are a snack-sized solution.

What to buy: Look for potatoes in 5-pound bags, as they tend to be smaller in size than loose potatoes. Avoid green-spotted or sprouted potatoes—they contain the bitter toxin solanine.

Game plan: You’ll need to make the corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, and sauerkraut before you begin.

Use the leftover scooped potatoes for mashed potato cakes, gnocchi, or potato soup.

This recipe was featured as part of our Make Your Own Loaded Potato Skins project.

  • Yield: 16 potato skins
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients (8)

  • 8 (3-inch-long) russet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds), scrubbed and thoroughly dried
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces thinly sliced corned beef (see Game Plan note)
  • 1/3 cup Thousand Island dressing (see Game Plan note)
  • 1 cup sauerkraut (see Game Plan note), thoroughly drained
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  2. Pierce each potato several times with a fork or sharp knife. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until the skins are crisp and a knife easily pierces the potatoes, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to the broil setting.
  3. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch intact; reserve the flesh for another use. Brush the insides of the potatoes with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes over, brush the skin sides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Evenly space the potato halves skin side up on a baking sheet and broil until the butter foams and the skins start to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes (keep a close watch so they don’t burn). Flip the potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
  4. Divide the corned beef evenly among the skins and top each with about 1 teaspoon of the dressing. Evenly divide the sauerkraut among the skins and sprinkle each with cheese. Place in the broiler and broil until the corned beef is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.