The traditional dish of cheesy twice-baked potatoes with cheese combines the crunchy, delicious outer layer of baked potatoes with the smooth, fluffy consistency of mashed potatoes. This dinner is great for parties, family feasts, or as a significant side dish. The cycle incorporates baking potatoes until delicate, eliminating the internal parts, consolidating with scrumptious fixings like cheddar, margarine, and harsh cream, and baking them again for a fresh, messy top.
What makes Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes so lovable?
Customization options are available to tailor them to your preferences, including options like bacon, broccoli, or a variety of spices.
Comfort: The rich, cheesy filling is the ultimate comfort food, ensuring these potatoes are popular at any meal.
The two-step baking process creates a visually appealing meal, ideal for wowing visitors.
Key Ingredients of Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Potatoes: Select potatoes that are fairly uniform in size and easy to halve lengthwise for best results.
- Cream: Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt can be used interchangeably, they both work well.
- Milk: Skim milk is okay, but 2% or whole milk, as well as half and half, will provide more richness.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese, while not mandatory, can enhance the filling by providing additional creaminess. I have prepared it both with and without, depending on if I have it available.
- Cheese: While we usually use sharp cheddar cheese, feel free to experiment with Monterey Jack, Mexican blend, or Pepper Jack for some extra flavor.
- Bacon: Bacon should be cooked and crumbled, so please make sure to plan for that. I typically cook my bacon in the microwave for convenience.
If you want this dish to be vegetarian, you can omit the bacon. I am confident that my family would rebel. Speed up the cooking process of your potatoes by using the microwave for the initial baking step, reducing the total cook time from 60 minutes to just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 average-sized russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup of either sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk
- 2 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.
- ½ cup of cheddar cheese, split (¼ cup stirred in and additional T sprinkled on each half of the potato)
- 2 tablespoons of cream cheese can be added if desired.
- 25% portion of kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp of black pepper
- 4 strips of bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees before baking. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to make cleaning up easier.
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly and make holes with a fork in various spots. Put on cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until soft. (Refer to the notes for a quicker method to microwave-cook the potatoes.)
- Once slightly cooled, cut in half lengthwise. Gently remove the interior, ensuring to maintain a ¼ inch border around the sides and base. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on that.
- Put the hollowed potato into a small bowl. Include the sour cream, milk, cream cheese (optional), melted butter, ¼ cup of cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
- Put the potato mixture back into the potato shells on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese and the bacon that was set aside on top.
- Go back to the oven and cook at 400 degrees for an additional 15 minutes.
- Heat before serving and savor.
Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time | Servings |
10 Minutes | 1 Hour | 1 Hour 10 Minutes | 2 Person |
RECIPE NOTES
Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes that are not consumed can be saved in that frame of mind for 3-4 days. Warm up in the stove at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or in the microwave, however they probably won’t remain firm. Prepare ahead of time by baking, filling, besting, and refrigerating for 1-2 days prior to baking at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes when you are prepared to consume.
Nutritional Info
- TOTAL FAT: 23g
- SATURATED FAT: 12g
- TRANS FAT: 0g
- UNSATURATED FAT: 8g
- CHOLESTEROL: 68mg
- SODIUM: 430mg
- CARBOHYDRATES: 23g
- FIBER: 2g
- SUGAR: 4g
- PROTEIN: 15g
Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes are adaptable and can be enjoyed as a side dish, entree, or appetizer for gatherings. They can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Mixing smooth mashed potatoes with crunchy baked potatoes, the decadent, cheesy filling and crispy topping make them a hit with everyone, easily personalized to cater to any palate. Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes are guaranteed to please and bring joy, whether for a family meal, potluck, or to fully savor the potato experience. If you try this If you try this Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-star ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes on my website.