For some inexplicable reason, people usually put bacon (usually in the form of bacon bits) in their twice-baked potatoes. I don’t really get it; it isn’t necessary at all! Of course, if you like bacon I’m sure it’s very nice, but that doesn’t so much work for me :D. Don’t worry, though, these potatoes have Sean’s seal of approval, and he actually likes bacon (weirdo). These aren’t as hard as they might sound–most of the prep time is actually just in the baking, which you don’t have to attend to much. You can pretty much stick them in the oven and forget about it for a while. You can even bake the potatoes early in the day and do the rest near dinner time. I wouldn’t recommend refrigerating them before you finish the recipe, though, as baked potatoes get a little rubbery, and the skins papery, if you put them in the fridge.

Oh, “baking potatoes” are the really large ones that you buy by themselves. You can use the smaller ones that come in the multiple-pound bags just fine, you’ll just be doing a little more scooping. Also, russet potatoes work best for this (as for most things where you bake the potatoes), though you could use Yukon Gold. Don’t use red potatoes; they bake up all wrong for this and the skins are too thin.

With no further ado (especially since the baby is teething and REALLY not digging being set down!), twice-baked potatoes!

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 large baking potatoes or 4 medium-small potatoes
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 TBS butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• generous 1/2 cup grated cheddar, divided evenly into two parts
• 4 chopped green onions, divided evenly into two parts

Directions:

1. Scrub and prick (with a fork or knife) the baking potatoes and bake at 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the potato moves through easily. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. If you have potatoes of substantially different sizes the little ones will finish first and you’ll need to take them out and let the big ones keep cooking. Thus, I usually advise trying to use potatoes of all near the same size.

2. When the potatoes are done take them out of the oven. If you are going to wait a while before finishing, turn the oven off and just let the potatoes sit on the counter until you’re going to use them. If not, leave it on and carefully cut the very hot potatoes lengthwise (“hot dog” style) and lay them out on a baking sheet, cut side up.

3. While these cool, do your grating and chopping and so on. Once that is done, carefully scoop out the insides of the baked potatoes into a medium-large bowl, being careful not to tear the skins. You can leave a little “liner” of baked potato to ensure this, they don’t need to be perfectly cleaned. Mash the scooped out potato.

4. Now add the sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper and one half of each the cheddar cheese and green onions. Mix and mash well until well combined.

5. Scoop the new filling back into the potato skins, doming it up a little bit. After all, you’ve added more stuff, so each skin now needs to hold more than it did. Arrange the stuffed skins in a single layer on the baking sheet or casserole dish.

6. Top each potato with some of the remaining cheese and onions. Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is nicely melted and everything is warm though. Remove from oven, let sit a few minutes, and serve. Enjoy!