Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are baking potatoes that have been baked in the oven until the white inside is cooked through. They are then cut in half lengthwise. The cooked white of the potato is scooped out and is mashed with differing ingredients, depending on the flavors you want to add. The skins are then filled with the mashed potatoes, sometimes cheese or other toppings are added, and the potato is baked again. Thus, twice baked!

Twice baked potatoes are substantial enough to eat for lunch and are a great change from the regular baked potato served as a side to meats. You can reheat the potatoes in the oven, or if at the office, a microwave works just fine. I believe this recipe uses the original ingredients for twice-baked potatoes (bacon, Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives or green onion), but plenty of variations have popped up (see below for variations).

4 baking potatoes (Russet)
Chives or green onion, chopped (as much or as little as you want)
1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
1 - 2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 pound bacon, fried crisp and broken into pieces (as much or as little as you want)
Parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, for sprinkling on top

Bake the potatoes (do not bake in aluminum foil) until done. In a 350°F oven they will take about 1 1/2 hours. At 400°F, they will take about 1 hour. You're aiming for an internal temp between 205°F and 212°F. Once done, let rest until they are cool enough to handle.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the white part out of the skins being careful not to tear the skin. Set the skins aside.

Mash the potatoes with sour cream, and stir in some chives or green onion, grated Cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, parsley, salt and pepper. Taste the mixture and adjust. Stuff the skins with the mixture, lightly sprinkle with paprika and return to the oven to heat through and brown lightly on the top.

Variations:

Many other stuffing ingredients could be used and is a great way to use leftovers. The potato scooped from the insides is the base for your filling. Mash it with a little sour cream or Greek yogurt (or a lot, depending on the level of your need for comfort food) until it becomes soft, and then fold in whatever extra ingredients you're in the mood for. These extra filling ingredients are where you get to be creative.

Note: Cream cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese, yogurt, and other simiar ingredients could be used in place of the sour cream to mash the potatoes. Dairy ingredients add creaminess to the potatoes.

Sour Cream

- Onion soup mix stirred into sour cream. Add to mashed potatoes, fill potato skins
- Caramelized onions, blue cheese, and sour cream mixed into the mashed potatoes and baked. To serve, top with crisp bacon and thinly sliced green onion or chives

Ham & Cheese

Note: The first three recipes are actually stuffed baked potatoes. The white of the potato is not removed and mashed. The potato is baked until tender, then slit down the middle and squished open. The filling, or topping, goes on top of the potato and the potato is returned to the oven. The fourth recipe does scoop the potatoes out, and in this case, is mashed with creamed spinach. Then the ham and cheese is added to the top, so it is actually a combination of a twice baked potato and a stuffed potato.

- top with chopped ham, cooked broccoli, and Cheddar or Gruyère cheese - heat in oven to warm fillings and melt cheese
- top with chopped ham, Brie cheese. Heat in oven to warm fillings and melt cheese. Top with chopped parsley and chives
- sprinkle a pinch of dry ground mustard on the potato, top with chopped ham and grated Swiss cheese - heat in oven to warm fillings and melt cheese
- mix creamed spinach into the mashed potatoes in place of sour cream, top with chopped ham and grated Swiss, or other cheese - heat in oven to warm fillings and melt cheese

Irish

- Irish Colcannon or Scottish Rumbledethumps - shredded cabbage and onion are sautéd in butter, then mix into the mashed potato. Top with grated Cheddar cheese and heat in oven to melt the cheese

Jalapeño poppers

- add diced cream cheese to mashed hot potato and stir until cheese is melty. Top with diced jalapeños, crispy bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese - heat in oven to heat the jalapeños and melt the cheddar cheese

Buffalo chicken

- blue cheese dressing mashed into potatoes in place of sour cream (or crumbled blue cheese and sour cream), top with shredded chicken doused in Buffalo Chicken Wing sauce

Mexican

- mash Mexican crema or sour cream into potato, top with ground beef cooked with Taco Seasoning mix, shredded Mexican cheese, Cheddar cheese or Monterey jack. Serve with choice of optional toppings: salsa, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, jalapeno pepper slices, green onion, cilantro

Southwestern

- Chili-Cheese: Top baked potatoes with warm chili, shredded cheddar and sour cream
- fill potato with a mixture of corn, black beans, onion, red pepper and ground beef, cooked and seasoned with chili powder and ground cumin, then topped with cheddar cheese. Heat in oven to warm the filling and melt the cheese. Serve topped with thinly sliced green onion and more sour cream if desired