Twice-Baked Potatoes

If you've been around Charm Hour before (or know me in real life) it comes as no surprise that I love potatoes.  I love basically every starch, especially ones you can put cheese on.  This is yet another post where my two true passions of cheese and carbohydrates combine.  The premise of the twice baked potato is that you bake your potatoes, scoop them out and mash them, then put them back in the oven to get nice and crispy.  Just beautiful.

Now, I don't make these little treats too often.  They take more time and effort than your average potato dish, so it's a little bit of an act of love.  Like a night with family and a good steak, or showing someone you love them by feeding them.  But they're super delicious and totally worth it.

See that on the right hand side?  That's a pool of cheese.  Heaven in a potato skin.

You'll Need:

Potatoes

Sour cream

Cheddar Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Dash of milk

(or your preferred mashed potatoes ingredients)

Any extra fixings- bacon, chives, shredded cheese, etc.

The Recipe:

Start with the obvious- bake your potato.  A fork should be able to go into it without too much resistance when in it's done.  I honestly don't remember how long it takes exactly, maybe 45 minutes to an hour on 350.

Once they're done, slice them in half and scoop out the potato.  Put the stuff you scoop out into a mixing bowl.

Now mash those potatoes!  My mother's way involves a large dollop of sour cream (probably 1/4 cup for 2 potatoes) and some chunks of extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I also mix in a dash of milk, salt, and garlic pepper.

I use a hand masher, but of course you could use a mixer if you have one.

If you like an extra crispy skin, you can rub it with a little olive oil and rock salt to make it extra tasty.  Scoop your mashed potatoes back into the skins.

You can sprinkle the top with seasonings or shredded cheese if you like here.  I mixed my cheese into the mashed potatoes, so I just sent mine back in to bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until the top is nicely browned.

And that's it!  Top with chives or scallions if you're feeling fancy, or just keep it simple.


P.S. If you also love potatoes, we've got a few more recipes you can try:

Hearty Potato Soup
Scalloped Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Oven Roasted Potatoes  (with a dinner of filet mignon with goat cheese sauce)
Baked Potato Chips  (a snack while I made Irish Soda Bread)