Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Hey there! How was your long weekend? Here in Utah, the air quality has been so bad lately that we've been stuck inside most of the time and getting stir crazy. But yesterday, the weather was crazy warm (50 degrees!), the air was clear, and it felt like spring. We got out and did our grocery shopping, then took a walk in the neighborhood, and it was glorious! I'm hoping it's a sign that this winter cannot actually last forever, and someday soon it will be spring. :) After our walk, the kiddos were starving, so I decided a hearty dinner was in order. We had these loaded twice-baked potatoes along with some baked chicken nuggets, and they were delicious! My mom used to make twice-baked potatoes occasionally when I was little, but I hadn't had them in a long time. I had forgotten how easy they are to make, and how delicious they are!
I started by baking the potatoes with a little olive oil and sea salt, and gathered the rest of my ingredients. When you pull out the bacon, cheese, and sour cream, you know it's going to be delicious!
I cut the potatoes in half, scooped out the insides, mixed them with the toppings, and spooned the filling back into the shells. I like them to have some chunks of potato, but you can definitely mash the potatoes smoother if you prefer.
Once they're all filled, sprinkle them with extra cheese and bake them 20-25 minutes. I sprinkled mine with a little extra bacon and green onion, too, and I can tell you that it was a good move. :)
They come out of the oven gooey and cheesy and so tasty! My family loved them and everyone cleaned their plate. I ended up only baking half of them, and putting the rest in the freezer for another day. To freeze them, just wrap the individual potatoes in foil. You can thaw them in the fridge overnight and then bake for 15-20 minutes, or bake them from the freezer for about 45-50 minutes. Alternatively, you can just remove the foil and microwave them for 3-5 minutes. So delicious and easy too!
Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
6 potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 teaspoon olive oil
sea salt
8 slices bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk or half and half
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat the oven to 425. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Pierce each potato with a fork several times. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 50-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.
When the potatoes have cooled, preheat the oven to 350. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside of each potato half. In a medium bowl, mix together the potatoes, bacon, sour cream, milk, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, green onions, salt, and pepper. Scoop the filling into the potato skins and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the inside is heated through.
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