Description
Fluffy mashed potatoes are loaded with tasty add-ins and stuffed in a baked potato shell and baked to perfection. Try these four different flavor combinations or experiment and create your own flavor combo!
Ingredients
Cheddar Bacon
- 4 medium-sized (about 3 1/4 pounds) russet potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 4 ounces (5-6 strips) bacon, cooked and chopped, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
Parmesan Pesto
- 4 medium-sized (about 3 1/4 pounds) russet potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons prepared or homemade basil pesto
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
- 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, divided
Roasted Garlic & Fontina
- 4 medium-sized (about 3 1/4 pounds) russet potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) fontina cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/3 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
Blue Cheese & Chive
- 4 medium-sized (about 3 1/4 pounds) russet potatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped, divided
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Bake the potatoes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Scrub the potatoes clean under running water and pat them dry. Poke holes all over each potato with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and brush each potato all over with olive oil. Sprinkle each side of the potato with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes at 400°F for 45-60 minutes or until fork tender, turning the potatoes once during baking. Note: If you are making the Roasted Garlic & Fontina potatoes, cut off the top from the head of a whole garlic to expose the cloves. Place garlic head on a piece of foil and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Wrap up the garlic into a tight foil pouch, place on the pan with the potatoes, and roast for 45 minutes.
- Prepare the potato halves: Allow the potatoes to cool for 5-10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of each potato half, leaving about 1/4" border of potato on the skin. Add the potato flesh to a large bowl.
- Prepare the potato filling: Mash the potato flesh with a potato ricer or a potato masher.
- For Cheddar Bacon potatoes: To the mashed potatoes add 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, half of the cooked bacon, garlic powder, sour cream, melted butter, warmed milk, and 1 tablespoon chives. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Adjust potato filling to taste adding more garlic powder, salt, or pepper if needed. Spoon potato filling back into the potato skins. Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top potatoes with remaining bacon and chives.
- For Parmesan Pesto potatoes: To the mashed potatoes add pesto, Parmigiano Reggiano, sour cream, warmed milk, and half of the pine nuts. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Adjust potato filling to taste adding more pesto, salt, or pepper if needed. Spoon potato filling back into the potato skins. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top potatoes with remaining pine nuts and an extra drizzle of pesto.
- For Roasted Garlic & Fontina potatoes: Remove the roasted garlic from the foil pouch. Press the bottom of the garlic cloves to remove the garlic pulp from the skin. To the mashed potatoes add the roasted garlic pulp, half of the fontina cheese, sour cream, melted butter, warmed milk, and half of the chives. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Adjust potato filling to taste adding more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon potato filling back into the potato skins. Top with remaining 3/4 cup fontina cheese and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top potatoes with remaining chives.
- For Blue Cheese & Chive potatoes: To the mashed potatoes add half of the blue cheese, 3 tablespoon chives, warmed heavy cream, and melted butter. Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Adjust potato filling to taste adding more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon potato filling back into the potato skins. Top with remaining 1/2 cup blue cheese and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top potatoes with remaining chives.
Notes
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The recipes for each flavor combination are flexible which makes it wonderful for adapting to your own tastes. Use the amounts for each flavor as a guideline to create your own drool-worthy twice-baked potato!
If you like your potato skins extra crispy, pop the potato shells back in the oven for 10 minutes while you make the potato filling.
To make ahead of time: Make the potatoes as stated in the recipe instructions but stopping after stuffing the potato skins with their filling. Allow the potatoes to completely cool then wrap well in plastic wrap or foil. They can remain wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before baking. When ready to eat, simply remove the plastic wrap, add your additional potato toppings, place in a 400°F preheated oven, and cook until potatoes are hot throughout, about 20-25 minutes.
Freezing twice-baked potatoes: Bake and prepare the potatoes as stated in the recipe instructions but postponing the 2nd bake until you are ready to eat them. Allow the prepared potatoes to cool to room temperature. Once fully cooled, wrap each potato with plastic wrap and then double-wrap with aluminum foil. This will fully protect the potatoes and the plastic will keep the foil from sticking to the filling making them easier to unwrap.
Reheating frozen twice-baked potatoes: Remove potatoes from the freezer and unwrap them completely. Place frozen potatoes on a baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes at 400°F. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the potatoes are heated through.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: twice baked potatoes, side dish recipes, gluten-free recipes
