The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes
The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes recipe - One of my all time favorite side dishes They make the perfect appetizer and are a true crowd pleaser So easy and yummy
The BEST Twice Baked Potatoes recipe - One of my all time favorite side dishes They make the perfect appetizer and are a true crowd pleaser So easy and yummy
- Carbohydrate 20.7400805227888 g
- Cholesterol 29.8831527897082 mg
- Fat 11.0426766042734 g
- Fiber 1.39007386748607 g
- Protein 4.81915603276996 g
- Saturated Fat 6.47227484077746 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (142g)
- Sodium 539.812548500024 mg
- Sugar 19.3500066553027 g
- Trans Fat 0.764281864047598 g
- Calories 197 calories
Step-by-step
- Pre-heat oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Prep the potatoes by washing them under cold water.
- Next pierce the potatoes with a fork several times and then plan on the pan.
- Brush potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle on the kosher salt.
- Bake potatoes for one hour.
- Allow potatoes to cool.
- Cut potatoes in half and then scoop out most of the inside of the potato.
- Leave a little bit, so the skins don’t tear.
- Mash the inside of the potatoes in a large bowl and then mix in the butter, half and half, sour cream, salt and pepper.
- Once the potatoes are mashed, scoop the potatoes back into the skins.
- Then top with cheese, bacon and green onions.
- Bake at 375 for 10-15 min or until cheese is bubbly.
Can this recipe be halved for a small household or doubled for a holiday dinner without losing structure? Adjusting quantities requires attention to the starch-to-fat ratio, specifically maintaining roughly four tablespoons of dairy and fat per three medium potatoes to prevent dryness. Baking whole russets at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour gelatinizes the starches properly, yielding a fluffy interior that absorbs butter and sour cream evenly.
Scaling up to twelve servings or more means managing oven space efficiently on a foil-lined baking sheet. Crowding the pan traps steam, which softens potato skins instead of yielding the crisp exterior needed to hold heavy fillings. Spacing each potato an inch apart ensures dry heat circulates freely during the initial bake.
Twice baked potatoes originated in American home cooking as a clever way to repurpose leftover mashed potatoes or transform baked spuds into a richer presentation. Modern variations incorporate heavy cream or half-and-half, which emulsify better than milk when incorporated into hot starch. Adding shredded cheese and bacon bits during the final ten-minute heat at 375 degrees melts dairy solids without scorching.
Assembled spuds keep unbaked in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours if tightly wrapped, though cold centers require an extra five minutes in the oven. Freezing is technically possible, but dairy-heavy fillings tend to separate and release water upon thawing, degrading the texture of the filling.
