Twice Baked Potatoes

This is one of Nate's favorite ways to eat potatoes. I don't make them very often, especially not in the heat of the summer, but we needed some comfort food today. I even upped the ante and added some bacon today. I like the potatoes nice and full, so I always make more potatoes than I end up serving. So if I'm serving four potatoes, I'll bake up six so I have lots of filling. I hope that makes sense.

Ingredients:
makes 4 servings (8 potato halves)
6 small/medium baking potatoes
milk
butter
salt
chives
pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
cooked, crumbled bacon (optional)

Preparation:
Wrap potatoes in tin foil, poke with a knife, and bake at 425 degrees for an hour or until tender.
Once potatoes are finished baking, unwrap and slice in half length-wise. Let cool on a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the middle with a spoon. You'll want to end up with 8 halves. Peel the remaining potatoes and add them to the rest of the potato scoopings. Add some butter, milk, salt and pepper, and chives to potatoes and mash until your desired consistency. Add some shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles and fold into the potatoes.
Fill potato shells with generous amounts of the mashed potato filling. Top with a little more shredded cheese and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot. Enjoy!



I shared this recipe over at Chef in Training and Mandy's Recipe Box.