Potatoes are one of my absolute favorite vegetables. As a kid we used to trek through the woods to the neighbor's potato field, dig them up and eat them raw with a little salt on them. This recipe is a great way to please everyone and you get a double serving for each potato! One potatoe...two potato..
Twice Baked Potatoes my way
The ingredients are:
4 medium/large Russet potatoes
1/4 C. Milk
1/2 C. Sour cream
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 C. bacon bits (cooked crispy, not burnt)
2 Tbls. butter
2 small or one Medium onion, chopped (green onions are great in this)
1/4 C. chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 Tbls. olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Prepare the potatoes by scrubbing them lightly to remove dirt spots. Pierce them with a fork 3 times from top to bottom on each of two sides. (this allows the steam to escape and keeps your potato from bursting open during cooking)
Rub each potato with the oil. Place on a pan lined with foil and sprinkle lightly with the kosher salt, turn and sprinkle lightly again.
You can put the potatoes directly on the oven rack, but I like the easy clean up of the foil.
Place the potatoes in the oven and cook for one hour or more if needed. Potatoes should "give" a little when pressing the sides. Turn the potatoes once during cooking to keep flat spots from happening on one side.
Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees
While the potatoes are baking, cook the onions in 1 tbls. of the butter till just slightly tender. I like a little crunch to remain in my onions for texture in the potatoes.
Slice the potatoes in half. I spread a light coating of butter or oil on my knife to make it go through the potato smoothly. Start with the tip and make a 2" slit, then put the blade down into the slit and slice through. When you get to the bottom, be firm. Sometimes the skins can be tough to get through.
Some recipes call for cutting just the top third of the potato for a bigger "boat" for the filling, but my way splits them in half so you can use each half for filling.
Now scoop most of the potato out of the skins, leaving a little on the edges. I use a grapefruit spoon than has serrated edges to help scoop out. Be careful at the bottom, so you don't tear a hole in them. Scoop the potatoes into a large bowl.
Add the sour cream, butter, salt and pepper, and milk to the potatoes and mash them. I use a mixer to get them very smooth. Don't mix too much or they will turn gooey on you.
Mix in the onions, cheese, parsley, and a little of the bacon bits. Make sure they are well distributed.
Here's the "surpise" I add to mine. Dot the bottom of each potato skin with a small amout of butter, one on each end and one in the middle. Then sprinkle a little of the bacon bits and the cheese. Doesn't need much. When you eat that last scoop of mashed potato out of the "boat" you get a kicked up potato skin too. And we love the potato skins!
Now place the skins on the foil pan, and fill them with the potato mixture to the top. When they are all filled, distribute the rest of the mixture among them to give a slight mound. The skins widen out when you are filling, but don't press it in too much.
Top each potato with some cheese and bacon bits.
Place them in the oven at 350 degrees, for about 15 minutes or until cheese melts and the potato is heated through.
Set oven at 350 degrees
Done!
Serve them with a dollop of sour cream and a little fresh parsley.
