Twice Baked Potatoes

Mashed potatoes and gravy, mashed potatoes and gravy, mashed...ugh, don't even say it again. Please! Although I am a mashed potato lover, there is only so much of mashed potatoes and gravy you can take post Thanksgiving.

We had a church Christmas party this past weekend and each family was assigned a certain dish to bring depending on their last name. I pulled up the assignment email and scrolled through the list of food assignments to find our name "A-G: mashed potatoes". You've got to be kidding me. No way in heck I am whipping up mashed potatoes...literally!

Let me preface by saying I am not a complete rebel, contrary to what my parents may think. So, I decided to steer clear of our actual assignment but stick at least within the boundaries of potatoes. I concluded that a twice baked potato would be much more satisfying to the "let's take a break from mashed potatoes" kind of crowd. And on a plus side, you don't even need utensils to eat a twice baked potato. Just pick it up and dig in! And may I add, I set my platter of potatoes on the serving table and within two minutes flat they were gone. Score.

Twice Baked Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

6 medium sized baking potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sour cream

4-6 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (can use bacon bits if you prefer)

3 tablespoons diced chives

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes and poke four holes around each potato about 1/4 inch deep. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet and bake for at least one hour until potatoes are tender. You can test by sticking a fork or knife into the potato. It should insert with little to no resistance.

2. Let potatoes cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out majority of the potato into a medium sized mixing bowl. You should leave about an 1/8 inch thick layer of potato with the skin.

 

 

3. Add butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl and mash them with a masher into the potatoes until well incorporated. If you like more of a whipped consistency, use a hand held mixer. Add more milk for a thinner consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

4. Scoop potato mixture back into potato skins. Put enough mixture in each potato to level off the potato skin. You can always add more to each potato if you have leftover mixture.

 

 

5. Stick back into the oven and bake covered with foil for 30-40 minutes until warmed through.

6. Remove from oven. Remove foil. Top each potato with 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Return to oven for 3 minutes until cheese is melted.

 

 

7. Take potatoes out of the oven and sprinkle crumbled bacon and chives on top. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

I also love this recipe because it can be made in advance. You can bake the potatoes, make the mixture, and fill the skins up to two days in advance. Just cover them and put them in your fridge until you are ready to cook. If cooking from cold, you will need to heat them through in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes before adding the cheese.