Crispy roasted potatoes, layered with melting cheese and, all wrapped up with plenty of crispy bacon. These Cheesy Potatoes are the best ever…totally divine! However you serve Cheese and Bacon Skillet Potatoes, know this: there are never leftovers.

A cast iron skillet loaded with a batch of Cheese and Bacon Skillet Potatoes.

CHEESE AND BACON SKILLET POTATOES RECIPE – IT’S GONE VIRAL!

The secret to this popular internet skillet potato sensation is a good long baking time and the smoky bacon flavor found in every bite. The bacon and sausage get nice and crispy while the sliced potatoes have a fluffy center…the entire eating experience can be summed up in just one word: LUSCIOUS.

THINGS TO LOVE

One skillet meals are THE BEST…especially when they get popped right into the oven to bake.
Who doesn’t love potatoes, cheese, bacon, and sausage??
The assembly is fun and a good dish for getting your kids into the kitchen with you.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

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Italian sausage
Sliced bacon
Fresh thyme sprigs
Yukon gold potatoes
Gruyere cheese (aged Swiss cheese)
Yellow onion
Garlic cloves

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING CHEESE AND BACON SKILLET POTATOES
**PRINT THE FULL RECIPE FROM THE RECIPE CARD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Using your favorite 12-inch cast iron skillet (or any heavy-duty skillet), cook and crumble the Italian sausage over medium high heat until fully cooked throughout and no pink remains. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage crumbles to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; reserve. Remove the sausage drippings from the skillet, then let the skillet cool slightly before continuing.

Browned Italian sausage cooking in a skillet.

Once the skillet isn’t piping hot, line it with the bacon strips. Working in a circle, place one end of each bacon strip at the center, allowing the other end of each one to drape up and over the edge of the pan. **The bacon strips will look like spokes of a wheel once the strips are placed all the way around the skillet. Sprinkle half of the thyme over bacon strips in skillet.

Layer half the potatoes on top the bacon strips and thyme, covering the entire surface, overlapping the potatoes as you go.

Slices of bacon laid out around a skillet.

Sliced potatoes on top of bacon sliced in a skillet.

Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese over the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top the potato layer with with the reserved cooked Italian sausage, thinly sliced red onions, minced garlic and 1/4 cup of cheese.

Add the remaining half of potatoes, overlapping them around the skillet, right on top of the sausage layer; season with salt and pepper, to taste, then top with the remaining cheese.

Last layer of potatoes on top with cheese.

Sprinkle the remaining half of the fresh thyme of the top, then fold the ends of the draped bacon strips back towards the center of the skillet, laying them over the top of all the ingredients within.

Slices of bacon wrapped around a bed of potatoes in a skillet.

Transfer the loaded skillet to the stove top; cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Cover the skillet with foil and transfer to the preheated oven; cook for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the skillet and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes are fork-tender, approx. 35-40 minutes longer. Let the potatoes rest for 10 minutes, then drain any excess drippings, if needed. (This depends on how fatty your bacon is.)

Crispy bacon on top of a bed of sliced potatoes with thyme.

Before serving, loosen the edges of the potatoes around the sides of the skillet, then cut into wedges and serve at once.

ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT THIS RECIPE

WHICH TOOLS ARE HELPFUL FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE?

Silicone Spatula Spoons – Of all the tools in my kitchen, silicone spatula spoons are what I use the most. They make stirring and sautéing a breeze and I love all the pretty silicone colors available. Silicone spatula spoons are completely heat-proof so they won’t melt, even when used over high temperatures. I like to have different sizes on hand for different kitchen tasks – soooo handy!

Mandolin – A mandolin makes slicing potatoes so very easy. It also ensures that all of your potatoes are identical in thickness. (This is important so that the potatoes cook evenly and are all fork-tender at the same time.) You don’t need a fancy mandolin either, a hand-held mandolin works just fine for potatoes.

WHAT IS GRUYERE CHEESE AND WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?

Gruyere cheese is a type of cow’s milk Swiss cheese that is generally aged for at least six months. Gruyere is well known for it’s rich, nutty flavor and creamy texture. Gruyere cheese that has been aged longer is more complex in flavor and a bit more earthy.

A block of Gruyere cheese ready to be shredded.

WHICH OTHER TYPES OF CHEESES WOULD WORK IN THIS CHEESY POTATO DISH?

I really recommend the Gruyere cheese for this recipe, but you could certainly use nearly any other type of Swiss cheese, too. Or, substitute a good sharp cheddar, aged Parmesan or Romano, Gouda, Fontina, or Havarti. Also, smoked cheeses would be delicious in this recipe.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE OTHER TYPES OF GROUND MEAT FOR THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE IN THIS RECIPE?

Yes, you may substitute nearly any type of ground meat in this dish, such as ground beef, pork or sausage, ground venison or bison, or even ground chicken or turkey. Just be sure the ground meat is cooked first before layering it within the potatoes as the recipe directs.

WHY DOES THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE HAVE TO BE COOKED BUT THE BACON IS RAW?

Cooking the Italian sausage first lets you render the fats from the meat before assembling the dish. Using uncooked bacon and uncooked sausage both in this recipe makes it too greasy.

WHICH OTHER TYPES OF POTATOES CAN BE USED IN THIS RECIPE?

Technically, you can use any type of potato in this recipe – russet, red, gold, white, whatever. I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes because their skins are delicate so there’s no need to peel them. And, Yukon Gold potatoes have a rich, buttery flavor that’s just delicious!

CAN I FREEZE THIS RECIPE TO BAKE LATER?

No, fresh potatoes don’t freeze well since they can turn a funky color and look unappetizing.

WILL THIS RECIPE DOUBLE WELL?

Yep, you’ll just need two skillets to do so.

CAN ANY KIND OF SKILLET GO SAFELY INTO THE OVEN? WHICH PANS ARE OVEN-SAFE?

This is such a great question. In general, any brand of cookware that is made entirely from iron or metal is oven-safe, including enamel-coated (ceramic-coated) pans. This includes stainless steel cookware as well as cast iron pans. Check the manufacturer’s guidelines for non-stick coated pans and be sure cookware with plastic handles is labeled as oven-safe. To be safe, keep wooden handles out of the oven, too, generally speaking.

WHY DOES THE RECIPE INSTRUCT TO COOK ON THE STOVE TOP BEFORE PLACING THE SKILLET POTATOES INTO THE OVEN?

This step of the recipe is two fold. Not only does this give the potatoes a good head start when they hit the oven (because they are already good and warm from cooking on the stove top), this step also helps to make sure the bacon on the bottom of the skillet gets browned and crispy.

Cheese and Bacon Skillet Potatoes ready to bake in the oven.

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PRINTABLE CHEESE AND BACON SKILLET POTATOES RECIPE