Potatoes might not seem like the most exciting of ingredients, but there’s actually quite a lot you can do with it to make a tasty dish. The most common options are to mash them, boil them or bake them.

If you want to mix things up a bit and whip up a tasty snack or side dish then you can’t go wrong with potato skins. These delicious morsels are simply potato halves with the centre scooped out, mashed up and then put back in with a topping of cheese, bacon and a dollop of sour cream. Of course there are other flavour combinations you can try, so if cheese and bacon isn’t to your fancy, you can customise them however you like.

But the key to making perfect potato skins is achieving a deliciously crispy skin - and this can be achieved every time with one simple step before cooking.

The secret to a crispy potato skin is all in the preparation - not the cooking. Food experts say potatoes should first be washed in cold water to scrub away any dirt and then must be thoroughly dried afterwards. If you don’t dry the potato properly before it’s baked in the oven then the moisture from the water will prevent the skin from turning crip, so this is a really important - yet simple - step.

Savoury Sweet Spoon explains: “Scrub and dry the potatoes really well. Any leftover moisture can create steam, which prevents the skins from crisping up. The drier the skin, the crispier the results.”

Once your potatoes are washed and dried, simply poke a few holes in each one with a fork and place in the microwave for around six minutes, flip them over and microwave for a further two to three minutes until they are soft.

Allow them to cool and then cut them in half and scoop out the filling inside, leaving just a small about ¼ inch of flesh around the edge. Then make sure to add some oil to the skins - and a dash of salt - as this will help them to crisp up as they cook.

Once you’ve thoroughly oiled the skins, mash the scooped out potato and add butter, cheese and bacon for flavour - or another filling of your choice - and spoon this back into your skins.

Then simply place them in the air fryer basket and cook at 200C for around 10 minutes until the skins are crispy. Once cooked, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives or spring onion.

The Country Cook adds: “If you don’t dry your skins well enough before you prep them then they may just get soggy rather than crisp. 

“Also, I can’t stress the importance of adding the oil to the skins to help crisp them up. If you’re too light with the oil, they won’t get crispy either.”