Easy Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
For the same reason that baked potatoes loaded with your favorite toppings are irresistible, twice-baked potatoes are doubly irresistible. Let’s explore what makes these gems such a versatile dish by looking at ingredients, pairing, texture, and nutritional profile.
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Flexible Ingredients in Twice-Baked Potatoes
These Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes can be summed up in one word. Versatile. Consider this recipe as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. Allow your personal taste to guide your decisions around texture, nutritional profile, flavor, quantity, ingredients, and what you pair them with.
Starting with the base, the creamy mashed potatoes provide a comforting, velvety texture that pairs perfectly with an array of ingredients. Whether you opt for sweet potatoes or russets, their versatility allows them to adapt to different flavor profiles.
Healthy vegetables such as colorful bell peppers, sweet corn, nutrient-rich broccoli, and earthy spinach can be incorporated, adding bursts of freshness and essential vitamins to the dish.
For a touch of indulgence, you can choose to include a variety of cheeses like sharp cheddar or creamy goat cheese, elevating the taste to a whole new level. And for the health-conscious, Greek yogurt can be a great substitute for sour cream, providing a tangy twist without sacrificing creaminess.
So, whether you prefer a vegetarian, gluten-free, or low-fat option, twice-baked potatoes can be customized to suit your cravings while ensuring a mouthwatering and nutritious meal for all.
What Do You Serve with Twice Baked Potatoes?
Twice-baked potatoes can be served with a variety of dishes. For a heartier meal, consider serving them alongside grilled meats like steak or chicken. They also pair well with roasted vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, and squash, if you don’t include them as part of the filling.
If you’re looking for something lighter, try pairing them with a crisp green salad or some cooked greens, such as sautéed spinach or kale. To round it out, add some fresh crusty bread and a dollop of butter for an easy and comforting meal.
They are the perfect side dish for any occasion. We’ve even eaten them for breakfast!
How to Make Twice-Baked Potatoes Ahead of Time
Circling back to the versatility of twice-baked potatoes, you can easily make these ahead of time and refrigerate them. Simply construct them and stop at the step where you bake them a second time. Store in the fridge for a day or 2, then 20 minutes before serving place the prepared potatoes on a baking sheet and bake them until they are warm through and ready to serve.
How to Cook Twice-Baked Potatoes
Lets dig into this recipe and learn how truly simple it is to make delicious twice baked potatoes every time.
1. Bake the Potatoes
The basic technique to cook twice-baked potatoes begins with washing and baking some potatoes. I prefer Russet potatoes, but other varieties definitely work. Be weird, do this with yams, Yukons, or even Yucca.
2. Prepare the Ingredients for the Inside of the Potatoes
Whatever ingredients you choose to include inside the potatoes, you will want to prepare while your potatoes are baking.
We choose to include carrots, broccoli, red onions, crispy bacon, and cheese. Cook the bacon ahead of time, cut the vegetables, and grate the cheese.
Sautée the Vegetables Before Assembling the Baked Potatoes
Sauteeing carrots, onions, and broccoli before putting them in twice-baked potatoes is a delicious way to take your potatoes to the next level of flavor.
Start by heating up a large pan over medium-high heat with some oil, butter or the rendered bacon fat from cooking the bacon. Once the pan is hot, add in the diced carrots, onions, and diced broccoli stems and let them cook for 3-4 minutes until they become tender with some browning around the edges. Stir occasionally while cooking to ensure even cooking.
After the carrots, onions, and broccoli stems have begun to soften, add the broccoli florets. I like adding the broccoli a bit later in the process so that it doesn’t burn and develop a bitter taste.
Once finished, remove from heat and set aside. These will be added to the rest of your filling ingredients later before loading the mix into your potato skins.
3. Cut Potatoes and Scoop Out the Inside
After your potatoes are baked, cut them in half to produce two equal halves. These should resemble boats. Once cool enough to handle scoop out the insides leaving a little potato with the skin to help your potato boat maintain its form.
4. Mix and Add the Potato Mixture
Mixing the ingredients for twice-baked potatoes is a quick and easy process. Begin by mashing the potato flesh with a fork or electric mixer, then mix in the ingredients you prepared earlier.
Once all of the ingredients are combined, you’re ready to stuff the potatoes. Make sure to press down gently so that the potatoes are filled evenly with stuffing.
5. Bake the Potatoes a Second Time
Top with cheese, or don’t, and bake the potoates a second time with the filling so that they are hot to serve.
Be creative with these depending on your nutritional goals, taste, or dietary restrictions. The following recipe is excellent, but I can think of healthier, creamier, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free ways to make Twice baked potatoes. Truly there is no wrong way to make them.
A perfect balance between crispy skin and creamy filling, these potatoes are sure to be a hit at your dinner table. They’re a tasty side dish that’s both hearty and satisfying. Loved by young and old, picky and adventurous, they are THE ideal side dish for family dinners, casual get-togethers with friends, or company pot-luck.
Deliciously Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 Medium Russet Potatoes
- 1 Broccoli
- 2 Large Carrots
- ½ Medium Red Onion
- 6 slices Bacon
- 5 oz Cheddar Cheese grated
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Prepare Potatoes: Scrub potatoes and poke a few times with a fork.
- Bake Potatoes: Place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. When done the potatoes should be soft when you squeeze them. Once they have baked through, cut them length-wise to yield 2 even halves. Once they are cool enough to handle, scoop out the potato into a large bowl leaving skins with an 1/8 inch of potato so they can keep their shape.
- Cook Bacon: Cook bacon in a pan over medium heat. Remove and set aside once the bacon is crispy and fat is rendered.
- Prepare Veggies and Cheese: While your potatoes are baking and your bacon is cooking, chop the onions, carrots, and broccoli stems into 1/4 inch pieces. Leave the broccoli florets larger, divide the biggest ones into 4ths, and the medium or small broccoli florets in half. Grate Cheddar Cheese.
- Cook Veggies: In the pan with the rendered bacon fat, cook the carrots, onions, and broccoli stems for several minutes over medium heat until they have softened. Add the broccoli crowns during the last 3-4 minutes of cooking to avoid burning.
- Stuff Potatoes: In your large bowl, mix together half of the grated cheese, crumbled bacon, the potato centers, and cooked veggies plus Salt and Pepper to taste. With a serving spoon, take large scoops of the mix and evenly distribute the filling into the potato skins. Top with the remainder of the cheese.
- Twice Bake: Broil on high for just a few minutes keeping an eye on your potatoes. Once the cheese on top is melted and browning, they are done. Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
- either toss the potato skin that didn’t have enough stuffing or
- when spooning in your stuffing, don’t overfill and continue adding stuffing until is all used up and each potato skin has received an even amount
