Food Blog: Twice Baked Potatoes

There are two ways to look at this recipe - either as twice baked potatoes as a complementary side dish, or as potato skins and an appetizer. I adapted this recipe from a version I found in Cook This, Not That that features jalapenos and a chipotle sour cream topping. For a shameless plug, I definitely think that the book provides some good insights on how to make healthier versions of foods that you may enjoy eating in restaurants.  The recipes can be modified further to be healthier (which is what I've done), but they're still much, much better than the same foods you would find in a restaurant. 





For example, a half order of Friday's potato skins appetizer will run you about 1,310 calories.  This same recipe, with my adaptation, runs less than 300 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving...possibly less since I didn't do exact calculations, but used lower fat versions of all of the ingredients in the book's recipe.


Anyhow, you'll soon see why it can be called by either way - because you actually cook the potatoes twice, but the insides are scooped out and mashed before putting them back into the crispy skins. 


So, to begin - preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.


You'll need the following:


4 russet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup of 2% milk (I use skim because that's all I ever have in the house!)
2 tablespoons butter (I use yogurt butter to cut fat and calories)
1/2 cup shredded sharp 2% milk Cheddar cheese
4 scallions, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled


The very first thing you want to do, as you will have plenty of time to prep the other items, is to get the potatoes into your preheated oven.  Wash the potatoes, scrubbing off any dirt, and dry thoroughly.  Next, rub a bit of olive oil on the outside of the potatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  The olive oil will help the skins get nice and crispy while they are roasting, and the salt and pepper will season the skins and add a nice flavor to the finished product.


Bake the potatoes for 35-45 minutes, until they are cooked through and tender.  


While the potatoes are cooking, you can accomplish the following:
- Cook the bacon. I prefer to use center cut bacon, as it has the least amount of fat marbling it, but it's still crispier than turkey bacon, which never seems to go quite right with recipes like this.  I also prefer to use my cast iron skillet, which I probably use 4 or 5 times a week...one of the best wedding presents ever :)
- Chop up the scallions
- Pour a glass of Riesling and enjoy it - or whatever wine you prefer ;)


Once the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the warm inner part into a bowl.  Leave enough flesh in the potato (ew) to keep the skin intact, however, or they could fall apart on you!


Add the milk, butter, cheese, and scallions and stir together with a large wooden spoon until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Preheat your broiler. While the broiler is preheating, spoon the potato mixture into the waiting potato skins.  Place a little more cheese on top, and place the skins back under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tops are brown.


Once finished, finish each potato with a spoonful of sour cream, a sprinkling of scallions and bacon, and serve!  Here, you can see what mine looked like prior to the sour cream - I broiled mine with the bacon on top so the bacon would be a bit crispier :)