Recently my whole family was together and we had been preparing meals for the whole crew. After one of our dinners, we ended up with a lot of leftover baked potatoes and decided to use them up by making twice baked potatoes. I love potatoes this way…they’re just delicious and look great if serving up a special meal.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Once potatoes are cool, slice a small sliver off of the bottoms of each potato so that they don’t roll. Slice and remove top quarter of each potato, then scoop out flesh, placing all scooped potato into a bowl, leaving about 1/4-inch of potato on inside.
Brush remaining shells inside and out with melted butter and sprinkle interiors with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer potatoes scooped side up to baking sheet and bake until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, place minced garlic, 3 tablespoons butter and half in half and heat slowly just until warmed, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour warmed half and half mixture over scooped potatoes and beat with a hand mixture just until well combined (mixture will be somewhat lumpy). Gently fold in 1 cup cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onion, remaining salt, and pepper.
You may use a ricer or food mill for a smoother consistency by following these steps: Set ricer or food mill over medium bowl and press or mill potatoes into bowl. Gently fold in warm half and half mixture, 1 cup cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onion, remaining salt, and pepper until well incorporated.
Remove potato shells from oven and let cool enough to handle. Fill with potato-cheese mixture and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake until tops of potatoes are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining green onions or chives. Serve.
Twice baked potatoes are excellent for using up leftover baked potatoes. You can go wild with your imagination as to how to stuff them. Some of my favorite ways are:
- 5.2 oz pkg Boursin Cheese, garlic, chives
- 8 oz Blue Cheese, Bacon Bits, garlic, chives
- 8 oz Blue Cheese, 4 oz Gruyere, garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, 8 oz Fresh Parmesan
- 8 oz Gouda, about 1 cup caramelized onions
Don’t forget…you can do this with sweet potatoes too! Just use complimenting mix ins, like, brown sugar, bourbon, pecans, maple syrup, marshmallows for the sweet kind.
LOADED TWICE BAKED POTATOES
Serves 6
This recipe calls for 8 potatoes for serving 6. The extra two potatoes are used for its flesh; you should have about 5 cups of scooped potato flesh to combine with the other ingredients to adequately fill each potato shell.
8 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked and cooled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup half and half
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped green onion tops
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup Real bacon bits (used Oscar Meyer)
1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Once potatoes are cool, slice a small sliver off of the bottoms of each potato so that they don’t roll. Slice and remove top quarter of each potato, then scoop out flesh, placing all scooped potato into a bowl, leaving about 1/4-inch of potato on inside. Discard 2 scooped out potato shells (for enough filling). Brush remaining shells inside and out with melted butter and sprinkle interiors with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer potatoes scooped side up to baking sheet and bake until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pot, place minced garlic, 3 tablespoons butter and half in half and heat slowly just until warmed, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour warmed half and half mixture over scooped potatoes and beat with a hand mixture just until well combined (mixture will be somewhat lumpy). Gently fold in 1 cup cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onion, remaining salt, and pepper.
You may use a ricer or food mill for a smoother consistency by following these steps: Set ricer or food mill over medium bowl and press or mill potatoes into bowl. Gently fold in warm half and half mixture, 1 cup cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and green onion, remaining salt, and pepper until well incorporated.
Remove potato shells from oven and let cool enough to handle. Fill with potato-cheese mixture and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake until tops of potatoes are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining green onions or chives. Serve.
MICROWAVE METHOD FOR QUICK BAKING POTATOES
Prick potatoes all over with fork, place on paper towel, and microwave on high until tender, 20 to 25 minutes, turning potatoes over after 10 minutes.
Jennifer Locklin is the writer of Jane Deere, a vibrant food blog that features all kinds of recipes from home cooking to foods from around the world. She is passionate about cooking and food photography.
You can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/janedeereblog or on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/janedeerejenn
Check out great new recipes on Jane Deere!: http://janedeereblog.blogspot.com/ If you haven’t already, subscribe here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/JaneDeere
