cooking @ home

At last, some true “play time” with food. I let my inner child run amok and came up with a grown-up fantasy come true. This is, as the title suggests, what I consider to be my ultimate twice baked potato.

Well, almost. I couldn’t believe when I shopping the day before the party I could not find a good, large baking potato! Must be a Murphy’s Law thing. If I didn’t care, they would have been there at the store the size of watermelons. But no, the day I want to get a big bag of really large ones, every single bag of russets — and not an Idadho in the place — contained pm;u three inch and unders.

You ever get that feeling you’re on Candid Camera? (For the younger folk reading, ever think you’ve been Punk’d?) Long story short, between a choice of red bliss and the in-betweener thin-skinned yellows from Jersey, I went with the Jerseys.

You’ll note below in the recipe I say six large potatoes, I ended up using nine medium. As always, vary as needed, or to fit in with what you can get at the market. Also, since it’s a good time saver — and this was part of a big party the next day and I had a lot of other dishes to cook — I “nuked” the taters in the microwave for about 18 minutes instead of the oven for 50. Same difference.

Next day about an hour before the party I sliced the potatoes in half length-wise and scooped them out, and then filled them back up with nothing but good stuff. Quick tip: You know those grapefruit spoons in the back of your drawer that you never use? The one’s where you got this thing that’s mostly spoon but with a serated, knife-type top on them? If you have those, they work awesome for scopping out the potatoes!

Needlesstosay (but I will any how) they were a party hit. Enjoy!

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes
©2007 Harry Kenney

ingredients:

Six large potatoes
 (large as you can find, preferably baking kind)
8 oz extra thick sliced bacon. diced 1/2 squares
4 oz shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
3 tblsps butter (or margarine)
salt
pepper

Place potatoes in the oven and bake at 400F for 50 minutes or until done. Alternately about 18 minutes in an 1100 watt microwave (about 25 minutes in a 700 watt microwave, placing plenty of fork vent holes in each). When potatoes are done let cool. You can either work with these the next day (storing in the fridge over night) or when cooled down at least 1/2 hour.

Take diced bacon and brown in frying pan. Take out and place on plate between paper towels to drain excess fat and let cool.

Cut each potato in half, lengthwise and scoop out into a mixing bowl. (Leave enough on the sides and bottom that you still have a firm “shell” of potato.) Place skins aside, covered in plastic or foil wrap so they do not get hard or dry.

To potato mixture, make as you would normally for mashed potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Now add cheddar cheese and about 80-90% of the bacon and mix with hand mixer or large spoon. Once thoroughly mixed, take out potato “shells” and fill each evenly as possible. Place pinches of cheddar cheese atop each of the 12 potato halves, and then top each with remaining bacon bits.