There’s something incredibly comforting about a perfectly prepared twice baked potato. It’s a classic for a reason, offering a creamy, flavorful interior nestled within a tender potato skin, all topped with delightful savory bits. This recipe elevates the humble potato into a show-stopping side dish or even a satisfying main course.
These loaded baked potatoes are a dream of creamy mashed potato filling, rich beef bacon, sharp cheddar, and fresh green onions, all nestled back into their own crispy jackets.
Recipe Details
- Flavor Profile: Rich, savory, creamy, slightly tangy, with a hint of smoky bacon.
- Textures: Tender and fluffy interior, slightly crisp potato skin, melty cheese, and crisp bacon bits.
- Total Active Time: Approximately 30 minutes
- Total Time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes (includes baking time)
- Difficulty Level: Easy, perfect for beginner home cooks.
What You’ll Need
For these delightful twice baked potatoes, you’ll be working with the star of the show, baking potatoes, which will be transformed into creamy vessels. We’ll enhance the fluffy potato filling with rich sour cream and milk for ultimate creaminess, a touch of butter for richness, and classic seasonings. The essential savory elements come from crispy beef bacon and sharp shredded Cheddar cheese, all brightened with fresh green onions.
Ingredient Notes
- Baking Potatoes – Opt for larger, starchy varieties like Russets, which have a fluffy interior perfect for baking and mashing. Their thicker skins hold up beautifully to scooping and refilling.
- Beef Bacon – This adds a wonderful savory and slightly smoky depth. Ensure it’s cooked until nicely browned and crisped before crumbling.
- Sour Cream – This is key for a smooth, tangy, and rich potato filling. Full-fat sour cream will yield the creamiest results.
- Cheddar Cheese – A sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar provides a wonderful tangy flavor that complements the creamy potato. Shredding your own cheese from a block will result in better melting than pre-shredded varieties.
- Green Onions – Also known as scallions, these add a fresh, mild onion flavor and a lovely pop of green color. Use both the white and green parts, sliced thinly.
- Milk – A little milk helps to achieve that wonderfully creamy consistency in the potato filling. Whole milk will offer the richest flavor.
- Butter – Unsalted butter adds richness and helps to bind the potato filling together.
- Salt and Pepper – Essential for bringing out all the flavors.
Add-ins and Substitutions
While this recipe is wonderfully classic as is, feel free to customize it to your heart’s content!
- Cheese Varieties: If Cheddar isn’t your favorite, try a blend of Monterey Jack, Colby, or even a touch of Gruyere for a nuttier flavor.
- Herbs: Fresh chives or parsley can be a lovely addition to the potato filling or as a garnish, offering a different kind of freshness.
- Spicy Kick: For those who enjoy a little heat, a pinch of cayenne pepper or some finely diced jalapeños (seeds removed for less heat) can be stirred into the filling.
- Creaminess Boost: If you prefer an even richer filling, you could swap some of the milk for heavy cream.
How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes
This recipe is wonderfully straightforward and involves a few simple steps to transform basic potatoes into something extraordinary.
- Prep and Bake the Potatoes: Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Thoroughly wash and dry your potatoes, then prick them a few times with a fork. Place them directly on the oven rack or on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool enough to handle.
- Cook the Bacon: While the potatoes are baking, cook your beef bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it’s nicely browned and crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet, drain it on paper towels, and then crumble it into small pieces.
- Prepare the Potato Filling: Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, carefully slice them in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the fluffy potato flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving about a 1/4 inch shell of potato in the skins to maintain their structure. Add the sour cream, half of the shredded Cheddar cheese, half of the sliced green onions, milk, butter, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the scooped potato flesh. Blend or mash these ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pro Tip: For the smoothest filling, a hand mixer or a sturdy whisk works wonders. Ensure the butter is softened for easy incorporation.
- Stuff and Bake: Spoon the creamy potato mixture back into the hollowed-out potato skins, filling them generously. Top each potato half with the remaining shredded Cheddar cheese, the rest of the sliced green onions, and the crumbled beef bacon.
- Final Bake: Return the stuffed potatoes to the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly. Serve your delicious twice baked potatoes hot.
Recipe Tips
- Potato Selection is Key: Choose larger baking potatoes with a good amount of starch for the fluffiest filling. Russets are your best friend here.
- Don’t Over-Scoop: Be careful when scooping out the potato flesh. Leaving a sturdy border will prevent the skins from breaking when you fill and bake them again.
- Soften Your Butter: Ensure your butter is softened before adding it to the potato mixture. This will help it to blend in seamlessly for a truly creamy texture.
- Season to Taste: Taste your potato filling before stuffing it back into the skins. You can always add a little more salt or pepper if needed.
- Crispy Skins: For extra crispy skins, you can lightly brush them with melted butter or oil and rub them with salt before the initial bake.
FAQs
- Can I make the filling ahead of time? Yes, you can prepare the potato filling up to 24 hours in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may need to add a splash more milk or sour cream to loosen it up before stuffing the potato skins.
- What kind of potatoes are best for twice baking? Starchy potatoes like Russets are ideal because they yield a fluffy and creamy interior when mashed. Waxy potatoes, like red or Yukon Gold, tend to be denser and might not give you the same light texture.
- How do I prevent the potato skins from breaking? Handle the potato skins gently after scooping out the flesh. If the skins feel very soft, you can carefully place them on a baking sheet to support them during the final bake.
Serving Suggestions
Twice baked potatoes are incredibly versatile and pair wonderfully with a variety of dishes. They make a fantastic accompaniment to:
- Grilled or roasted meats like steak, chicken, or pork chops.
- A hearty salad with a vinaigrette dressing.
- Barbecued ribs or pulled pork.
- Baked salmon or other fish dishes.
- Simply served as a satisfying vegetarian main course with extra toppings.
Make This Recipe in Advance
You can certainly get a head start on these delicious twice baked potatoes!
- Potato Prep: Bake and cool the potatoes up to 1 day in advance. Once cooled, slice them in half and scoop out the flesh. Store the scooped-out flesh and the skins separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Filling Prep: Prepare the potato filling (steps 3 from the “How to Make” section) up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Assembly and Final Bake: When ready to serve, gently reheat the potato skins if desired, then stuff them with the chilled filling, top with cheese and bacon, and proceed with the final baking step. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the final baking time if the filling is cold.
Enjoy these wonderfully satisfying twice baked potatoes, a comforting classic that’s always a crowd-pleaser!
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Twice Baked Potatoes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A classic and comforting dish, these twice baked potatoes feature a creamy, flavorful filling nestled within crispy potato skins and topped with savory beef bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and fresh green onions.
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices beef bacon
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake the potatoes until tender, about 1 hour, then let them cool.
While the potatoes bake, cook the beef bacon in a skillet until browned; drain and crumble it.
Slice the cooled potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, and keep the skins.
To the scooped potato flesh, add sour cream, half the cheese, half the green onions, milk, butter, salt, and pepper, then blend until creamy.
Spoon the potato mixture back into the skins, then top with the remaining cheese, green onions, and beef bacon.
Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
Notes
Choose larger baking potatoes with a good amount of starch for the fluffiest filling. Russets are your best friend here.
Be careful when scooping out the potato flesh. Leaving a sturdy border will prevent the skins from breaking when you fill and bake them again.
Ensure your butter is softened before adding it to the potato mixture. This will help it to blend in seamlessly for a truly creamy texture.
Taste your potato filling before stuffing it back into the skins. You can always add a little more salt or pepper if needed.
For extra crispy skins, you can lightly brush them with melted butter or oil and rub them with salt before the initial bake.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: N/A
- Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: N/A
- Protein: N/A
