Twice-Baked Potatoes
Photo: MarkTraceur, CC BY-SA 3.0
Twice-baked potatoes give you a crisp, oiled skin around a creamy cheddar and sour cream filling. Russets are the right choice here, because their dry, floury flesh mashes fluffy and holds the butter and dairy without turning gluey. The final trip under the broiler browns the tops and crisps the edges. Keep the filling a little stiff so it stays mounded in the shells, and add bacon, bell pepper or green onion as you like.
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Rub the potato skins all over with vegetable oil, which helps them turn crisp.
Bake the potatoes for 1 hour, until they are tender all the way through. Take them out carefully and let them cool for 10 minutes so you can handle them.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out with a small spoon, leaving a thin shell of potato intact, and mash the flesh with a fork until smooth.
Mix in the butter, milk, sour cream, cheddar, salt and pepper until well combined. Aim for a mixture that is slightly stiff rather than wet, and use less milk if it looks loose.
Spoon or pipe the filling back into the potato shells. If you like, top them with chopped bell pepper, green onions and bacon.
Switch the oven to broil and broil the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops are spotted brown and crisp.
Make it personal.
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