"Twice baked potatoe recipe for a beginner? YUM YUM!!! (meaning I need step by step...)"

• Bake a potato
• Let it cool a bit
  
• Cut off the top
• Scoop out the insides, leaving a half-inch or so as a shell
• Mix in cream, cheese, salt, chives, bacon... let your imagination go.  Throw in pepperoni, walnuts, chicken, blue cheese... whatever you have around.
  
• Put the mixture back into the potato
• Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes

    *  4 large baking potatoes
    * 8 slices bacon
    * 1 cup sour cream
    * 1/2 cup milk
    * 4 tablespoons butter
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    * 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
    * 8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
   3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
   4. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
   5. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Twice-baked potatoes can be served with anything that you might serve any other kind of potato. They are particularly nice with a steak, meatloaf, or roast beef. I've also had them with pork chops or roasts.

You can add whatever you normally put on your baked potato in a twice-baked (sour cream, chives, bacon, butter, etc). Here's a basic recipe that you're sure to enjoy:

Bake Two Large Russett Potatoes at 400 without wrapping them for 40 minutes. They might take a little longer but check them at 40 minutes with a small knife. If the knife slides in easily, the potato is cooked. Take it out of the oven and let it cool long enough for you to handle it.

Once they're cooled, cut "top" of potato off about 1/2" deep. Hold your knife horizontal and keep it parallel to the cutting board. Scoop out as much potato as you can without breaking through the skin. I usually leave about 1/4" of potato attached to the skin. Set the skin "shells" aside. Place the white part in a mixing bowl and give it a little mash to break the pieces down then add the following and stir together just til the ingredients are mixed:

1/4 c sour cream

1/2 c cheddar cheese

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbs fresh or 1 tsp dried chives (chopped fine)

Spoon this mixture back into the potato skin shells. You're going to have more than you started with so "overstuff" the shells so they're mounded on top. I usually don't put the tops back on -- just eat them.

Top with a little more cheddar and place them back in the 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. They'll get slightly browned and all warm and gooey inside.... DELISCIOUS!!!

Some other things you could add include horseradish, roasted garlic, parsley, hot sauce, different cheeses, vegetables like broccolli or asparagus.... Use your imagination. Whatever is good with potato could work!

Bon Appetit.

First, I scrub, dry, lightly oil and poke some holes in 4 good sized potatoes.

Throw them directly on the rack in the oven...heated to 450 degrees and cook for about 45 minutes.

Stick them with a sharp knife.  If it slides easily through the middle, they're cooked.

Leave oven on, but lower temperature to 350...remove potatoes.

Cut each potatoe in half, the long way.  Holding a potatoe half in an 'oven gloved' hand, remove most of the white part and put in a bowl. Don't make the skin too thin.

Now you have 8 nice, crispy skin shells to fill.

Mash the potatoe inners, adding a 1/4 cup of milk (a little at a time), butter (or Smart Balance) salt, pepper...then whip.  They should be firm.

Fill the skin shells with the whipped potatoes.  Put on a cookie sheet...and pop in the oven, 'til the peaks of the whites are lightly browned.

Then you can add whatever toppings each person likes...

Sour cream

Bacon bits

Chives

Shredded cheese

If you like the shredded cheese a little melted, you can broil them for a few seconds...but it usually melts just fine on top of the hot potatoe.

You can also serve the potatoes 'undressed' and have a selection of the toppings in little cups on the table.

Enjoy!

 Here is a little different recipe for stuffed potatoes.

STUFFED BAKED POTATOES:   4 SERVINGS

2 large baking potatoes ( or 4 smaller sized )

1/4 c. sour cream

8 t. freshly grated Romano cheese ( I have use cheddar or blue cheese in place of the Romano )

4 slices bacon, crisply fried, drained and crumbled

4 t. minced  green onions (chives)

salt and pepper

4-8 pats of butter

minced fresh parsley and paprika ( garnish )

Prehat oven 425*.

1.  Bake washed potatoes 45 minutes.

2.  Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350*.

3.  Cut each potato in 1/2 horizontally ( or, with smaller potatoes, cut off 1/3 from the top and scrape inside of top to small bowl) and gently scoop pulp into small bowl: reserve skins.

4. Add sour cream, 4 t. cheese, bacon and onion to pulp and mix with a fork until well blended, but not mashed.

5.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

6.  Fill potato skins and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

7.  Add 1 to 2 pats of butter to each 1/2 and top with sprinkling of parsley and paprika.

 This recipe is from Canlis’s, in Seattle, Washington