These are so good!
I love potatoes anyway you cook them. They have been a favorite of mine since childhood. I grew up in a very small town in south Georgia where my grandparents had a big farm. They had what all farms had back then, chickens, horses, cows, and pigs . They had a smoke house, a sugar cane mill to make syrup and a well. They grew everything peanuts, cotton, corn, watermelons, peas, beans, potatoes, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, turnips,and the list goes on. And get this they also had a big underground bomb shelter. Go figure!!
Every Wednesday after school we would visit my grandparents. Usually I would take a friend. Bomb shelters make great playhouses. Whatever my grandmother had cooked for lunch that day we would have for an afternoon snack (meal). She always made potatoes, just plain boiled potatoes. They were so good. They were seasoned with lots of love and I am sure butter. Okay, enough about why I love potatoes.
This is a great stuffed potato recipe that I have adapted from my friend Cile. It is a favorite of ours especially when we are grilling. It is easy and very flavorful.
I have to get on my soapbox here. PLEASE don’t wrap up potatoes in foil to bake. When you do that the pulp is slick, gummy and turns a dark color. It also takes forever because you are steaming them . Just wash the potatoes good and put them in a 425 degree oven. Most of them including the great big Idahoes will take an hour or a little more. I’m telling you they will be so fluffy, billowy, soft and a beautiful pristine white when you pop them open. You’re going to say WOW!
Place in 425 degree oven for about an hour or more until soft
While they are still hot cut the top 1/4 off of the top of the potato. Scoop out the cooked potato. Place in a mixing bowl.
Scoop out baked potatoes and place in bowl
Heat about 1/2 of milk and 1/4 stick of butter just until warm. By the way this recipe can be doubled.
Heat 1/2 cup milk with 1/4 cup butter until warm
Add milk and butter to the potatoes. You may have to add more or less milk depending on the size of the potatoes.
Next add 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar, 3 slices of bacon cut into bits, and 2 tops of green onions sliced. I pulled the cheese and the bacon out of the freezer.
add 1/2 cup cheese, 3 slices of bacon bits, and green onions
Mix
Ready to stuff the shells
Put the mixture in the shells and bake for about 20 min. if you can wait that long!
Cile’s Twice Baked Potatoes ( This is the doubled recipe)
- 8 medium baking potatoes
- 1 cup milk heated
- 1/2 cup butter heated with milk
- 1 cup grated sharp cheese
- salt and pepper
- 2 sliced green onions
- 6 slices of bacon bits
Bake potatoes at 425 degrees for about 1 hour or until they are soft. Cut 1/4 of top from potato and scoop pulp into a mixing bowl. Heat milk and butter until warm. Add to pototatoes. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Stuff potato mixture into shells. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 min.
Enjoy!
The Teacher Cooks
The Teacher Cooks 