Okay, potato fans, let’s talk taters! Any style will do… one favorite crowd-pleaser is the basic Twice-Baked Potato. Trust me, they merely sound fancy, but they are Super Simple! And dinner guests always revel in the flavors.
Simply bake your potatoes (about 1 hour at 350 – 400°F). If large, cut them in half lengthwise and use a small spoon to scoop out the hot potato inside, leaving a nice shell all around the edges. (If your potatoes are perfect single serving-sized, just slice off the top ¼, horizontally, keeping the shell intact as you scoop out the baked potato flesh inside. Mash your potato flesh in a large bowl with plenty of butter, a little milk or half-and-half, sour cream, salt & pepper, and some shredded sharp Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Spoon the filling back into your potato shells and sprinkle with additional Cheddar and a dash of paprika.
These make ahead to this point beautifully and can be refrigerated or even frozen till you want to serve them. Before serving, bake (after thawing, if frozen) at 350°F for 20 minutes to warm through and to crisp up the cheese on top a bit. It’s also fun to add all sorts of other goodies inside… from some dried onion soup mix or thinly sliced green onions to cooked bacon bits.
(We also put each potato on an aluminum foil base and bake them inside a closed BBQ grill.) Enjoy!!!
