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A baked potato is part of supper. A twice-baked potato is the reason people come to supper. My mother made them for the nights my father grilled a steak, and he said the same thing every single time: the steak never stood a chance. She baked big russets until the skins were crisp and the insides fell apart, scooped the potato into a bowl while it was steaming hot, mashed it with butter, sour cream, milk and a big handful of sharp cheddar, and piled it back into the skins, heaped up high, with more cheddar on top. Back into the oven they went until the peaks went golden and crusty. My brothers fought over whichever one had the most cheese.
The part that matters most is the scooping. Leave a thin wall of potato inside each skin, about a quarter of an inch thick, the thickness of a pencil. Scoop any thinner and the skin tears and collapses in the oven; leave it thicker and there is no room for the filling. The other secret is the first bake: rub the potatoes with oil and coarse salt and bake them directly on the oven rack, never in foil, so the skins come out crisp enough to stand up like little boats.
Why this twice-baked potatoes works
- Russet potatoes. Their dry, floury insides mash light and fluffy and soak up butter and sour cream.
- Oil and salt, no foil. A bare potato in a hot oven grows a crisp skin strong enough to hold the filling. Foil steams it soft.
- A quarter-inch wall. Enough potato left in the skin to keep it standing, little enough to leave room for a high pile of filling.
- Mash while hot. Hot potato absorbs the butter and sour cream and mashes smooth. Cold potato turns gluey.
- A second bake at high heat. It heats the filling through and browns the cheese at the peaks.
Ingredients
Makes 8 potato halves, enough for 4 hungry people or 8 as a side. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the potatoes
- 4 large russet potatoes (about 10 ounces, 280g each)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
For the filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (56g)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80ml), warmed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (170g), divided
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
To finish
- extra sour cream and green onion
Shred your own cheddar from a block. Bagged shredded cheese is coated to keep it from sticking and does not melt as smoothly into the filling.
How to make twice-baked potatoes
The first bake
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Scrub the potatoes, dry them well and prick each one a few times with a fork.
- Rub them all over with the oil and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake directly on the oven rack for 55 to 65 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides into the center with no resistance.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes, just until you can handle them with a towel.
Scoop and fill
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Hold a half in a towel and scoop the inside into a large bowl with a spoon, leaving a wall of potato about a quarter of an inch thick in the skin. Set the skins on a baking sheet.
- While the potato is hot, add the butter, sour cream and warm milk, and mash until smooth.
- Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar, most of the green onion, the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Spoon the filling back into the skins, heaping it high and roughing up the tops with a fork so there are peaks to brown.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the tops.
The second bake
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the filling is hot through and the cheese is melted and golden at the peaks.
- Top with a little sour cream and the rest of the green onion and serve hot.
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Tips that make the difference
- Bake the potatoes on the bare rack, not on a pan, so hot air reaches the bottoms and they crisp all over.
- If a skin tears while scooping, patch it with a spoonful of filling. Nobody will know.
- Warm the milk before it goes in. Cold milk cools the potatoes and makes the filling stiff.
- For the crispest tops, turn on the broiler for the last 2 minutes and watch them closely.
Variations
- Broccoli cheddar. Stir a cup of finely chopped steamed broccoli into the filling.
- Ranch style. Add a teaspoon of dried dill and a pinch of onion powder to the filling.
- Pepper jack. Swap half the cheddar for pepper jack for a little heat.
- Loaded with chives. Fold in two tablespoons of fresh chives and a spoon of cream cheese for an even richer filling.
Storage and make-ahead
Make ahead: fill the skins, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bake from cold at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
To freeze, freeze the filled, unbaked halves on a baking sheet, then wrap each one and keep for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
Leftover baked halves keep in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat in the oven so the skins stay crisp.
Frequently asked questions
How thick should the potato wall be?
About a quarter of an inch, the thickness of a pencil. Thinner and the skins tear; thicker and there is no room for the filling.
Should I wrap the potatoes in foil?
No. Foil steams the skin soft. Rub them with oil and salt and bake them bare on the rack for crisp skins that hold their shape.
Can I make twice-baked potatoes ahead?
Yes. Fill them, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze them unbaked. They are one of the best make-ahead sides there is.
What potatoes are best?
Russets. Their floury texture mashes light and fluffy. Waxy potatoes like red potatoes turn gluey.
Bake them once for the skins and twice for the cheese, and set them on the table next to whatever else you made. They will win.
Twice-Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Cheddar
Classic twice-baked potatoes: russets baked until crisp, scooped out, mashed with butter, sour cream, milk and sharp cheddar, piled back into the skins and baked again at 400 degrees until golden.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80ml), warmed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (170g), divided
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- extra sour cream and green onion
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Scrub the potatoes, dry them well and prick each one a few times with a fork.
- Rub them all over with the oil and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake directly on the oven rack for 55 to 65 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides into the center with no resistance.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes, just until you can handle them with a towel.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Hold a half in a towel and scoop the inside into a large bowl with a spoon, leaving a wall of potato about a quarter of an inch thick in the skin. Set the skins on a baking sheet.
- While the potato is hot, add the butter, sour cream and warm milk, and mash until smooth.
- Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar, most of the green onion, the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Spoon the filling back into the skins, heaping it high and roughing up the tops with a fork so there are peaks to brown.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the tops.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the filling is hot through and the cheese is melted and golden at the peaks.
- Top with a little sour cream and the rest of the green onion and serve hot.
