The Old Standby – Twice Baked Potatoes

Retro? Well, yes. But, there is a reason these have been around for a long time, and this version is way better than the one stuffed with way too much sour cream and not enough cheese, in my opinion. And these are the perfect side dish for this beautiful steak.

Here I use heavy cream instead of sour cream. It’s a little trickier since there is a fine line between it being too dry and too soupy. But if you add a little at a time and practice restraint, it’ll pay off. I give general measurements per potato in the instructions so that you can easily adjust based on the quantity of potatoes you use.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

Scrub the potatoes clean under running water and allow to dry completely.

In a bowl, add the following ingredients per potato: 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar and about 2 tbsp. Jarlsburg and set aside. You are going to need more cheese in the end.

Now, back to the potatoes. Prick all over with a fork. Brush or rub oil all over the outside of the potato and coat in kosher salt. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 75 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven, or until you can pierce the potatoes easily with a pointed knife. Resist the urge to eat them because they are pretty darn good as is. Allow to cool just long enough to handle. You still want the potatoes to be very warm so that the potato filling melts the butter and cheese mixture.

Cut a ‘lid’ around the top of the potato and snack on that part. Then scoop the potato out of the shell, placing it on top of the cheese/butter mixture as you go. Leave just enough potato in the skin to keep it from falling apart. Now, add a couple of tablespoons of cream at a time and mix the potato thoroughly with the cheese and butter until it is no longer dry. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and mix. Give it a taste to make sure it is seasoned enough.

Now, we fill the potato skins with the mixture. Then, combine about a 1/2c cheddar and 1/4 c Jarlsburg per potato and heap the cheese mixture onto the top of each potato, kind of pressing gently to get it to stay in place.

To finish:

At this point, you can leave the potatoes out at room temperature a couple of hours before finishing in the oven, you can refrigerate up to one day (but let them come to room temperature before baking), or of course you can bake right away. When ready to bake, place on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for anywhere from 30-45 minutes or until it is lightly browned on top and sizzling. I like to finish them under the broiler for just a minute or two, keeping an eye on them with the door ajar the whole time.