These Big Mac Potato Skins are Whole30, Paleo & Gluten Free, of course! They’ve got everything you love in the classic Big Mac, even the special sauce! Seriously, they’re the best healthy appetizer for Super Bowl Sunday or a perfect easy weeknight dinner!
A game day snack or football party appetizer!
Football season and January Whole30 have me amped up every Saturday. I’m planning and dreaming and Pinterest-ing how I’m going to Whole30-fy all sorts of fun game-day snacks for Sunday!
Well here’s one snack you’re definitely going to want to make for the Superbowl – Whole30 Big Mac Potato Skins, complete with “Special Sauce” and everything. They were by far my favorite Whole30 recipe this January.
I told my kids why I was calling these “Big Mac” Potato Skins, and that’s because they’ve got all the things we love about McDonald’s… “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!”
I took all the best parts of the Big Mac and cleaned them up to a Whole30 and Paleo snack, using grass fed ground beef, a homemade special sauce, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are key here, folks. They really make it “feel” like a Big Mac.
Don’t skip the sesame seeds!
For Superbowl Sunday and pretty much any other day, these dairy free Big Mac Potato Skins are definitely going to be a winner.
And if you’re looking for some other fun and healthy game day snacks — Check out my Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Nachos or Whole30 BBQ Chicken & Ranch Sliders!
You can also grab my 4 week Whole30 Meal Plan, complete with weekly grocery lists!
Making the Recipe
- Baked the perfect baked potatoes. Sounds easy right? Well it is!
- Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides with a spoon, then crisp them up in the oven.
- Fill with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, sesame seeds AND special sauce!
The crispy potato skins are so great, because they give you all the happiness of the fries that you inevitably order on the side of your Big Mac.
Baked potatoes should be crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, and my way is totally fool-proof. It’s totally not necessary to wrap them in tin foil, because all you need to do is drizzle the skins with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with flakey sea salt before you bake them. Trust me, they’ll be absolutely perfect every single time.
Make the special sauce Whole30 and Paleo by using compliant Mayo and Ketchup, then top your burgers, roasted veggies, sandwiches with it, because it is a winner!
What’s missing?
The one compliant thing I did decide to omit? The chopped onions that normally come on a Big Mac. In my family, the kids just don’t eat raw onions.
Even if I chop them into microscopic sized pieces, they’ll still somehow identify them. Then I’ll spend the entire evening watching them picking out every single piece of raw onion. It’s just not worth it for me! Feel free to add that in, though, of course!
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Big Mac Potato Skins with Special Sauce
Ingredients
Big Mac Potato Skins
- 8 medium russet potatoes
- 3-4 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons flakey salt
- 1 lb ground beef I use 80-85%
- 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1/2 cup sliced pickles
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoons sesame seeds
Special Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayo be sure it’s compliant
- 2 Tablespoon ketchup
- 2-3 Tablespoon relish*** see note below
- 1 Tablespoon onion flakes (dried onion)
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
Bake the Potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 400. Wash and dry the potatoes and pierce the skins of each potato a few times with a fork.
- Lay the potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes. The skin should be nice and crispy and the inside soft enough to pierce with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool until they’re not too hot to handle. Don’t turn the oven off.
Make the Special Sauce
- While the potatoes cook, mix all the ingredients together for the special sauce. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
Prep the Fillings
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking apart and turning often as it cooks. Season with garlic and onion powder and sauté until cooked through.
- Shred the lettuce. Slice the tomatoes and pickles.
Make the Potato Skins
- Cut the potatoes in half longways. Using a spoon, remove most of the insides and set in a bowl to use another time.
- Place skin side down back on the baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 more minutes, until they’re nice and crispy.
- Fill each potato skin with ground beef, pickles, tomatoes, special sauce and sesame seeds.
Wendy says
What kind of ketchup is compliant to the diet?
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Wendy! Tessemae’s, Primal Kitchen Foods, and Good Food for Good are all compliant! Check out my Whole30 Ketchup post (https://cookathomemom.com/whole30-ketchup-brands/) to get the full list.-Laura
Noelle says
So happy I stumbled across this blog on IG. All the recipes looks amazing!
Cook at Home Mom says
Hi Noelle! Thank you so much for your kind comment. That means so much to me!! 🙂
tina says
love it!
Cook at Home Mom says
Thanks so much! A crowd pleaser for sure.
Katelyn Rigg says
What a great idea! These are actually making my mouth water! Thanks for the awesome inspiration.
Cook at Home Mom says
My pleasure!
Kathleen says
I can’t wait to try this for Super Bowl! Looks amazing!
Cook at Home Mom says
So glad! Hope you love it!
Mark says
I’ll occasionally indulge in a Big Mac here and there when traveling for work and after having these, I can tell you that I didn’t miss the bun one bit. The special sauce was banging! SO GOOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!!
Cook at Home Mom says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jesse says
Can’t wait to make this!
Cook at Home Mom says
Yay! Hope you love it! 🙂