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Berkshire Eagle Column: Twice as Nice!

Sometimes something as simple as a baked potato makes me happy, and I love the smell as it cooks. And other times it’s fun to take something simple and jazz it up a bit.

This past week in the Berkshire Eagle I did just that with twice-baked potatoes. The link is here, or scroll down, but also know that this is one of those recipes you can make your own! If you don’t eat meat, omit the bacon. Try adding caramelized onions or roasted veggies. You’re only limited by your imagination!

TWICE AS NICE

by Elizabeth Baer

If you know anything about life as a teacher, you know that our lunch periods are generally short and hectic. The timing is tight for buying anything from the cafeteria when the kids are all getting lunch as well, and there’s definitely not time to go out and get anything. As a result, our dinner menu planning includes plans about my lunch as well, with some “emergency” lunches in the freezer for when our plans go awry. I usually like to bring some wonderful leftovers that I can heat in a microwave at school so I can enjoy a comforting hot lunch especially in the winter. (Although this year, because of how the schedule works, which is different every day, once a week I do not even have time to go down the hall to the microwave and I have to plan for a cold lunch. Sigh.) So, quite happily, our dinners are often twice as nice for me!

When my kids were still at home, they were such eager eaters that I often had to set aside what I needed for my lunch before serving dinner, because otherwise they would inevitably get up for seconds and finish off everything! So imagine my dismay when I made this week’s recipe of twice-baked potatoes, with two huge potatoes, anticipating four halves for four portions, and my husband decided to have a second half because he loved it so much! I still got to take the remaining half, and spread out over two days of school lunches, and so, for me, I guess it was thrice as nice!

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 large baking potatoes, about 1 pound each

  • 3 ounces bacon, cut into small piece (which I find easier to do when frozen)

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 2 ounces shredded cheese, about ½ cup packed, cheddar or a blend including cheddar, divided

  • ¼ cup sour cream

  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped chives

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2-4 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub the potatoes and poke numerous times with a fork. Bake directly on the oven rack for 90 minutes until soft.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring frequently until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the fat.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven and, using oven mitts, cut in half lengthwise. (Be careful as the steam that comes out when the potatoes are cut can cause burns.) Scoop the potato flesh out of the halves, leaving enough flesh to make a shell of about ¼ inch.

Place the potato skin shells cut side down in a metal pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Turn them over and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake the shells in the oven for 15 minutes so they dry out a bit and will hold their shape better.

While the shells are in the oven, mash the potato flesh. I prefer to do this by putting the potato flesh through a ricer, but you can also use a potato masher or just a fork. Do not use a food processor which tend to make the potato gluey.

Add the butter while the potato flesh is still somewhat warm so that it melts. Add the cooked bacon, half the cheese, sour cream, chives, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk, and mix gently with a rubber spatula, or even just a spoon, to combine well. If it seems too stiff, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk. Taste and adjust salt if needed.

Take the potato skin shells out of the oven. Carefully scoop the potato mixture into the potato skin shells, dividing as evenly as possible. Spread the remaining cheese evenly over the four potato halves.

Bake for 5-10 more minutes, and then put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

My ColumnsElizabeth Baer