Friday, November 9, 2012

Twice Baked Potatoes


Photo by fungus amungus
 
Yesterday, my husband and I made the 150 mile round trip to visit our HMO, where they had scheduled him for an ultra sound.  The Doctors are keeping a close watch on him, because he is taking several meds and it seems all drugs have those not so happy side effects. 

On the way home, we stopped at Win-Co Foods, where there are usually some good bargains.  Many of the items you will need for Thanksgiving were already on display and were nicely priced.

Robert is an excellent shopper and he discovered a 20# bag of large Russet potatoes.  As we paid for our items, the cashier was chatting with me and mentioned how her mother would make “Twice baked potatoes” using this size.  I told her my mother did the same thing, and that is probably what we will do with these. 
 
They are a lovely addition to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Today for our dinner, that is exactly what we enjoyed, along with some stir fried beef with carrots, onions and bell peppers. 
 
Included here is a recipe that you can adjust if you like more cheese and more of anything else. 
 
These potatoes will also stand alone for a nourishing lunch or late night meal.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Olive oil
6 large Russet baking potatoes
8 pieces bacon fried and crumbled
1/4 lb. (1 cup) grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup cream
1 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley
1 cube butter
2 green onions, chopped  Optional
1/2 tsp salt or seasoning salt
freshly ground black pepper
paprika, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400°F.


Scrub and wash potatoes very well using a vegetable brush. Dry with a paper towel and rub with olive oil.

Bake potatoes in oven for about an hour, or until fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool slightly until they can be handled but are still hot.

Using a sharp knife cut the potatoes in half. (You will need a clean dish towel or mitts to handle the potatoes.) Using a spoon, scoop out as much of the potato pulp as you can, leaving the skins intact.

Meanwhile, mash the potato pulp using a potato masher, adding butter, salt and pepper, onion, cream, yogurt or sour cream, bacon, cheddar (save a little cheese for the top) and other seasonings. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Spoon the mixture into the potato shells until heaping full and return them to 425°F oven for 5 minutes. Sprinkle tops with cheese and paprika.  Return to oven (on top rack) until tops are golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes more.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 12 servings.

If you plan to freeze the potatoes, do NOT add the onion, as it will ruin the potatoes.
 
This post is linked with Ann Kroeker’s  Food on Fridays   
Do visit her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.

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2 comments:

Diane Ronzino said...

Yum. My mouth is watering! Thanks for the recipe. I don't think of I've had them.

Floyd said...

That sounds exactly like my sister in law's recipe... Man those are good. I could eat them all by themselves for a meal.