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Ultimate Twice-Baked Potatoes

These twice-baked potatoes taste wonderful and always a big hit! I've been making these for years — they make a great side dish for any meal and are terrific heated up the next day for lunch.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 3509.5 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Baking Sheet For baking potatoes
  • 1 Large, deep skillet For cooking bacon
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For potato filling
  • 1 Electric Hand Mixer For blending potato mixture
  • 1 Sharp Knife and Spoon For slicing and scooping potatoes

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 4 large baking potatoes
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese divided
  • 8 green onions sliced, divided

Instructions
 

  • Gather ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake potatoes in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour, depending on the size of your potatoes. Set potatoes aside until cool enough to handle. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/2 of the green onions to the potato; mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Spoon the mixture into the potato skins; top each with remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Return potatoes to the preheated oven and continue baking until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve Hot! Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Notes

For optimal flavor, consider using high-quality smoked bacon and render it slowly to achieve maximum crispness. When mashing the potato flesh, avoid overmixing with the hand mixer, as this can lead to a gluey, undesirable texture; mix just until blended and creamy. To elevate the dish, a touch of roasted garlic added to the potato mixture provides a deeper, savory note, and a pinch of smoked paprika can enhance color and warmth. For a more elegant presentation, pipe the potato filling back into the skins using a pastry bag with a star tip, and garnish with freshly chopped chives instead of just green onions. Ensure the potatoes are baked until very tender in the first stage, as this makes scooping much easier and contributes to a smoother filling.