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Twice Baked Potatoes are stuffed to the brim with tender potatoes, cheddar and Parmesan cheese and lots and lots of bacon. They are a great side dish for any holiday!
This twice baked potato recipe is a staple for my Christmas dinner menu. It’s more elegant than traditional mashed potatoes, and it pairs perfectly with Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon, Roasted Broccolini, Buttery Frozen Dinner Rolls and a Winter Salad.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
If my dad’s claim to fame is his classic meatloaf recipe, then my mom’s is these twice baked potatoes. She’s been making them for holiday dinners for as long as I can remember. They’re kind of like Loaded Potato Skins with extra potato.
Our recipe is a little different because we don’t add any sour cream or milk to the mix like the other recipes I’ve seen. Just mashing the plain potatoes with butter and mixing in cheese makes them extra buttery and creamy.
I always make sure of is to add plenty of cheese, and plenty of bacon. It’s important to cook the bacon first, and make sure it’s nice and crispy.
This is a great make-ahead recipe, too. I love that I can prep the potatoes, fill them, and get them all ready for their second bake the next day.
How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes
Get a detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.
- Bake the potatoes for about an hour at 350℉. First scrub the potatoes with a clean sponge to remove any dirt, then pierce them several times with a fork. You could also rub them with olive oil and salt if desired. I’ve got a whole post on how to bake potatoes if you want more tips.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half. Be careful not to tear the skin. Gently scoop out the flesh, leaving a small rim of potato around the shell for support.
- Place the potato flesh into a bowl and mix gently with cheese and bacon, salt and pepper. You can also add in some chopped chives or green onions if you like. Then fill the potato skins with the mixture until they are overflowing. Use a spoon and round off the tops. Any leftover can be eaten like regular mashed potatoes – consider it a little treat!
- Add a little bit of cheese and bacon to the tops for visual interest and pop them back into the oven for another 15 minutes or so. Garnish with fresh chopped chives and serve immediately.
Make Ahead Instructions
Prep the potatoes all the way up to just before the second bake. Arrange them in a baking dish and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dish in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, then bake as directed, adding roughly 5-10 minutes to the cook time.
FAQs
You can make quick shortcut baked potatoes in the microwave! Scrub the potatoes with a clean sponge to remove any dirt, then pierce them several times with a fork. Bake them in the microwave for about 4 minutes per potato. If your microwave has a “potato” button, use that.
When potatoes are completely cool, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The leftovers make a great snack or even breakfast the next day! Reheat in the microwave for about a minute.
Since my recipe doesn’t have any milk or sour cream, these potatoes freeze and reheat beautifully. Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 4 months. Even better, wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Thaw completely before reheating, then microwave or heat in the oven until warmed through.
Russet potatoes are the best choice for this recipe. They have a sturdy skin and will hold their shape much better than any other potato.
Helpful Tips
- Use a cookie scoop to help remove the insides of the potato easily.
- Be very careful when cutting into the warm potatoes. The insides get very hot and the steam can burn you.
- Another make ahead tip – You can cook the potatoes and refrigerate for a day before cutting in half and scooping out the insides.
- Always grate the cheese off the block. Pre-shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent which prevents proper melting.
- Try to get evenly sized potatoes, and ones that are a little thicker rather than long and skinny.
- To save time, make baked potatoes in the Instant Pot.
More Potato Recipes
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Purple Potatoes
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 baking potatoes roughly the same size
- 6 slices bacon
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 6 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bake potatoes in 350˚ oven for 60 minutes. While potatoes are baking cook bacon until crisp.
- Cool potatoes about 10 minutes and slice in half. Carefully scoop out the inside of each half into a mixing bowl. Leave a small amount of potato on the skin.
- To your bowl add butter and lightly mash. Add crumbled bacon, parmesan and ½ cup of cheddar. Lightly mix ingredients together. Spoon potato mixture back into the potato skins. (You may have some skins left over.) Top with remaining cheddar cheese. If you don’t plan to bake right away, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Bake at 350˚ until cheese melts, about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
I felt they were dry and needed more seasoning. the first time i made them. Made them again, added ranch dry dressing mix, and sour cream. Much better!!!
Fair enough – tastes differ. My family has made and loved these exactly as is for 30 years.
have to say I love potatoes, I can go through a 10lb bag in a week never tried the not sure of the skin,
You don’t have to eat the skin.
The skin is the best part I think