The Best Potatoes for Twice Baked
Russet potatoes or baking potatoes (the same potatoes we use for mashed potatoes) are the best potatoes to use for twice-baked potatoes. The potatoes are starchy and fluffy, and the thick skin holds up well to stuffing.
Of course, almost any variety will work with this recipe, but the texture may differ slightly.
This twice-baked potato recipe is easy to make.
Make it a Meal: Add some optional ingredients or leftovers to the mashed potato filling to change it up. Add cooked chicken, steamed vegetables, broccoli, ground beef (or leftover taco meat) and other ingredients.
Put them on the baking sheet with the potatoes and bake them during the second bake. You can season them with salt and pepper, add a little more oil, and sprinkle some cheddar on top. The best snack will result from them getting extra crispy; they might even serve as an edible spoon!
Reheating your twice baked potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees will essentially give them a third bake while re-crisping the potato skin and preserving the creamy interior. Reheating the potatoes will take between 15 and 20 minutes. However, due to uneven heating, some of the potato may become a little tough if you microwave them in a hurry.
In essence, twice baked potatoes are just mashed potatoes in a cute little potato boat. The potatoes are roasted in the first bake to make them nice and tender. It’s the ideal base for our filling because the inside becomes creamy as the outside becomes crispy. All of your cooked potatoes are mashed with butter, cheese, milk, and additional ingredients for the second bake. The potatoes are then refilled into the potato skins, topped with additional cheese, and baked until everything is heated through. It has the most delectable mashed potato filling and is the most decadent baked potato.
To allow you to take our twice-baked potato wherever you like, we kept it simple. Any ingredient can be combined with success in a twice-baked potato. Although bacon is a classic option, we also enjoy it when it is combined with horseradish, broccoli, or sriracha. For an all-out version, top the dish off with a scoop of hot homemade chili and a dollop of sour cream before serving.
Yes, you should bake the potatoes first, then make the filling as usual while the potatoes are still warm. When ready to bake for the second and final time, prepare them to the point of baking them a second time and then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. There’s no way to really overcook these potatoes unless your cheese is burnt, but they will take a little bit longer in the oven than our recipe below indicates because they’ll be cold from the fridge. Just continue baking until everything looks perfectly golden and toasty.
Can you make twice baked potatoes ahead of time?
Indeed, twice baked potatoes taste just as good or even better when made in advance. For hectic weeknights, meal preparation, entertaining, or special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, reheating the potatoes is a fantastic choice!
To make a simple and fast side dish any night of the week, just take the potatoes out of the fridge, sprinkle some cheese on top, and bake again!