Ultimate Twice-Baked Potatoes Recipe

Plain and simple — twice-baked potatoes are twice as nice as a regular potato. While these require a little more time and attention than a regular potato would, at the end of the day, this recipe is easy and totally worth it. The fixins in this potato include green onion, cheese, sour cream, and of course, some crispy bacon, all mixed into the creamy inside of the potato to ensure you get a little bite of everything in each bite. Trust us, this is the way that potatoes were intended to be eaten. 

Recipe developer Ting Dalton of Cook Simply came up with the ultimate twice-baked potato recipe that would be great to serve as the main event or a side to accompany a protein. "If you're a potato fan like me, then this is seriously the ultimate potato recipe — filled with deliciously creamy cheesy potato with salty bacon and the crunch and aromatic of green onions," Dalton raves. "With a deliciously crispy potato skin. My potato heaven!"

If you've made twice-baked potatoes before, you probably know the drill. This recipe requires russet potatoes, olive oil, sour cream, milk, softened butter, grated cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onion. "You could play around with different flavor combinations. Use blue cheese instead or add spinach," Dalton notes. "You could use chives instead of green onions."

Start by preheating your oven to 400 F. Then, grab your potatoes and rinse them under the sink and wash well. Use a paper towel to dry the potatoes and pierce them with a fork. This will help ensure that they don't explode when you cook them.

Lather the potatoes with olive oil to help them get nice and crispy and pop them into the oven. Set your timer for 1 hour 20 minutes and continue cooking until the potatoes are completely cooked through.

Please note that you do not need a baking sheet for this step. "The key to getting an even crispy baked potato is to place the potatoes directly onto the rack in the oven rather than using a baking tray," Dalton shares.

Since the potatoes take a little while to bake, you can continue prep work while you wait. Take out a skillet and add the bacon. Continue frying until nice and crispy, then place the strips on a paper towel to cool and remove the excess oil. Once cooled, break the crisp bacon into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

After you remove the potatoes from the oven, place them in a safe spot and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then, slice them in half. "Be careful when cutting and scooping the potatoes as they will be hot," Dalton warns. "Use oven gloves or a tea towel. It's better to mix the potato with the other ingredients while hot."

Use a spoon to scoop out the inside of the potatoes into a bowl. One more reminder to be careful since the inside of the potato will be pretty hot.

Add butter, sour cream, and milk in the same bowl as the potato insides. Mash the potatoes with the other ingredients until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Then, add a cup of grated cheese, half the bacon, and half the green onions. Mix again to combine.

Using a spoon, scoop the insides of the potato back into their shells on a baking sheet. Then, add a little more cheese, bacon, and onion on top.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F and bake the potatoes for another 15-20 minutes, making sure that the cheese on top completely melts.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve as you wish. These are super versatile and go well with or without another side or main. "These are perfect on their own with a green salad. Or as a side dish to any meats or fish like chicken or steak," Dalton notes.

They also make a great bonus meal if you have any left. "Keep in the refrigerator for up to three days and reheat again in the oven," Dalton suggests.