twice-baked potatoes
Our Thanksgiving family favorite, now in its fourth generation.
Makes 16 potato halves—multiply or divide amounts as needed.
Ingredients:
8 large russet potatoes
Oil as needed (olive or a neutral flavored oil)
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, sliced in pieces, at room temperature
8 oz. grated white cheddar, preferably sharp (we like Cabot or Tillamook extra sharp)
8 oz. grated orange cheddar, preferably sharp
1 cup milk
1 cup whole milk (8 oz.) sour cream
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Wash and scrub potatoes well, pat dry, and rub with oil. Poke skins of potatoes a few times with the tines of the fork, then arrange them on a sheet tray. Once oven is preheated, bake the potatoes around an hour, flipping halfway through, until they give when pressed and feel soft inside (you can poke them with a thin skewer to test).
Once the potatoes are done, cool them just enough to handle comfortably—you want the flesh to still be hot. Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove.
Carefully slice the potatoes in half, evenly, longways. With a large spoon, scoop out the flesh of each potato into a large bowl, leaving a thin layer of flesh along the skins (for sturdiness). While the potato flesh is still warm, stir in butter, 2/3 of the cheese, and the warm milk. Stir in the sour cream. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste as you go.
Once the filling is to your liking, arrange all the empty potato skins on a tray or two and divide filling among them. Sprinkle each top with the remaining cheese. At this point you can either bake them or cover with foil and refrigerate for later (we usually do this step the day before Thanksgiving).
Final bake: Preheat oven to 350° and bake the potatoes, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until filling is hot and cheese is melted on top. It will be messy! They’re also delicious re-heated the next day.