Twice-Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are a great vegetarian staple.  They are universally useful as side dish or main, and there are a million ways to use them.  A simple baked potato with butter and sour cream is one of my favorite things.  But, if you have a few extra minutes, turning that baked potato into a twice-baked potato can really up the yum factor.

When making twice-baked potatoes, as in making regular mashed potatoes, it's important to remember that overworking the potatoes develops the gluten in them, which is what can make some mashed potatoes gummy.  You want to go ahead and mash them as much as you want, just don't keep going with it.  Some people use a food mill or potato ricer to accomplish this.  I don't have one, so I just use an old fashioned potato masher and just try to not overdo it.  I've seen some people put their cooked potatoes into a stand mixer, turn on the paddle, and let it go for 15 minutes.  For the life of me I can't imagine why you'd want to do that.  The potatoes will never be creamy and delicate again once you work the gluten that much. 

Twice-baked potatoes can literally be just the baked potato, mashed, and baked again, but when most people say twice-baked they also mean that they've added a thing or two to the mix.  I like to add a lot of stuff to the mix.  Cheese, sour cream, mustard, milk, butter, seasoning, you name it, I throw it in there.  I don't, however, usually put the potato mixture back into the original potato skin shells.  To get the potato out of the shell while leaving the shell totally intact is a difficult task.  I prefer to just scoop out all the insides and discard the shell, instead just baking the whole thing in a small baking dish. 

Here's a general recipe for twice-baked potatoes.  You can leave out any of the additions, except for milk or cream; at least a little moisture is needed for mashing the potatoes.  Otherwise, everything is optional.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes
2 Tbsp milk or cream plus extra
1/2 cup loosely packed shredded cheese(s) of your choosing
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp brown or dijon mustard
dash each: garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika

Bake the potatoes as you normally would until fully cooked.  Allow to cool enough to handle; scoop out the insides and mash with a little milk or cream as needed.  Stir in 1 Tbsp butter, cheese, sour cream, mustard, and seasoning.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Spread potatoes evenly in a small baking dish.  To get brown parts, score or make peaks in the potatoes.  Dot the top of the potatoes with remaining 1 Tbsp of butter, cut into little pieces.  Bake until golden brown on top, 20-30 minutes.

Happy eating!