Twice Baked Potatoes

I always thought twice baked potatoes would be hard to make. But, when I found this recipe, I realised that could not be further from the truth. Sometimes the end product can seem like it took forever to make because they look overly complicated and taste amazing. But looks can be deceiving. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for them to bake. The prep work actually does not take long at all

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs Potatoes, about 8 - I would use the drier white potatoes for this such as a white russet. The red potatoes might have too much moisture in them even after baking and the final product might be too runny.

Oil, approximately 1/8-1/4c - The amount varies as you are using this to oil the potato skins. I like to use quite a bit of oil as it makes the skins crispier.

Sea Salt, approximately four teaspoons - You sprinkle the oiled potato skins with the oil before baking. It depends on how much salt you use.

1c Sour Cream - I like to use a higher percentage sour cream as I find the lower the percentage, the sour cream seems more watery. You can use low fat if you prefer.

1/4c Milk - The same goes for the milk percentage as for the sour cream. I like at least 3% milk as I find the taste of the milk is richer the higher the percentage.

3T Butter - You can replace the butter with margarine if desired.

1/4c Chives - Mince the chives finely. You can also use dried chives if that is all you have on hand. I prefer fresh (who doesn't?) but have been known to use dried when I could not find chives at the store. You could also use minced green onions or shallots.

Salt, Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400C.

wash your potatoes of any debris and pat dry. Rub the potatoes liberally with oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Across the top of each potato, make a 1/4 inch deep cut. Turn the potato and make a second 1/4 inch cut across. You should have a Cross cut into the top of the potato.

Place your potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake one hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Cut the top quarter of the potato off.

With a spoon, scoop out the potatoes until you have a bowl. I usually leave at least a quarter inch of the flesh on the inside of the skin. If you are unsure about making it too thin, try to go for a half inch thick.

Place the scooped out potato flesh into a bowl. Mash well and add the sour cream, milk, butter, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Preheat the oven back to 350C.

Spoon The mashed potato mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes. Place back into the oven

Bake the stuffed potatoes for twenty minutes.

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

Notes

You can choose to discard the potato tops at this point. But, what I like to do is top them with tomato sauce and shredded cheese, then broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling and just turning brown. This makes a nice potato slice pizza.

You can make this your own by using any spice blend you desire.

You could even add your favourite shredded cheese to the mashed potato portion of this recipe.

If desired, when you take the finished twice baked potatoes out of the oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese. It should be hot enough to melt the cheese.