Twice-baked potatoes go under the category of Family Favorites and Holiday Recipes since we always have these with Christmas dinner, and usually Easter as well. They are also often requested by son Connor, and our niece Kelsey for bday dinners. But despite the fact that this family fav is technically a root vegetable, I’m not going to pretend these fall under any “healthful” category. Nope. These potatoes are indulgent carb- and fat-loaded side dishes for a holiday or celebratory meal or maybe a special “cheat” day.
With the Irish heritage of the McNeill family, potatoes are a must at holidays, but these are SO much more interesting and tasty than basic mashed potatoes. They are great for a big feast since you can prepare them a couple days ahead (prior to the second baking) and keep them in the refrigerator. Then just take them out and pop them in the oven 45 minutes to an hour before serving. Just make sure to prepare extra as they tend to be pretty popular and are delicious reheated.
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This “recipe” is more of an idea or guideline. I don’t think I ever make them exactly the same way twice, so I don’t follow a set recipe. I’ll add some crispy bacon sometimes, chives, scallions, or different types of cheese, but I find that our family prefers them when they’re kept fairly simple. If I don’t have a good head of garlic (or just don’t want to bother with roasting it) I’ll just add garlic powder, and that’s good too, but not quite as good as the fresh roasted garlic.
Ingredients
- 8 small to medium russet potatoes or 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 medium head garlic
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2-3 cups grated sharp cheddar
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (divided)
- minced chives or scallions (optional)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- smoked paprika
- additional chives or minced parsley to garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash potatoes well and poke them with a knife or fork in several places.
- Cut off and discard top of garlic head. Wrap garlic tightly in foil.
- Bake garlic for about 30 – 45 minutes and potatoes for about 45 minutes to an hour. If your potatoes are large, you may need to bake them for longer. You want them to be steaming and easily pierced by a fork, but not overcooked to the point where they’re getting too dry and shriveled.
- When garlic has cooled, squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into a small bowl, discard the skin, and mash pulp with a fork.
- When potatoes are done, allow to cool just until you can handle them without burning yourself. You want them to still be warm so they will mash more easily and mix well with the butter and cheese. (I usually use a potholder to hold them while I scoop out the insides.)
- If your potatoes are small’ish, slice off the top quarter or so (setting the top aside and reserving for potato skin appetizers!). If your potatoes are large, cut them in half lengthwise to make two shells from each potato. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add garlic, butter, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and sour cream to the potato flesh and mash with a potato masher to combine. If you like them very smooth, you can beat them with an electric mixer at this point, but we like them a but chunky, so I just do this by hand.
- Taste the potato mixture. Add salt and pepper and additional cheese, sour cream, chives, and other seasonings or add-ins to taste.
- Divide the potato mixture among the shells. Top with remaining Parmesan and sprinkle with paprika.
- At this point you can cover and refrigerate the potatoes until you’re ready to bake them or bake them again immediately. If you bake them right away without refrigerating first, bake for about 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. If you are baking them for the second time after refrigerating them, plan on baking for about 45 minutes, or until they are thoroughly warmed through and golden brown on the top. Garnish with fresh minced chives or parsley if you like.
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