Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Submitted by Bobbie S.

"Who doesn't love these! So yummy with all the good stuff -- potato, sour cream, cheese, green onions and bacon pieces. I usually double the recipe when making these and freeze the extras -- once reheated, you can't tell that they were not freshly made."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 40mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 6 large baking potatoes (about 10-12 oz. each)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup sliced green onion
• 1⁄2 cup melted butter, divided
• 1⁄2 cup half-and-half cream (I use fat free)
• 1⁄4 cup sour cream (I use fat free)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper (can use regular)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• paprika
• crumbled bacon, pieces (cooked)

directions

1. Rub potatoes with oil and pierce with knife or fork. Bake at 400 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Allow to cool to the touch.
2. Slice and remove top quarter of each potato, let cool for 5 minutes; carefully scoop out pulp leaving 1/4 inch layer of the potato on inside, making sure not to tear or rupture shell. Place pulp in a large bowl.
3. Butter inside and out of each potato shell with melted butter. Sprinkle insides of shells with 1/4 t. salt.
4. Increase oven temperature to 475. Place potato shells, scooped side up on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and bake until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.
5. Sauté onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender.
6. Add to potato pulp along with cream, sour cream, salt and pepper (*see Note below). Beat until smooth (some folks don’t like their stuffed potatoes real smooth – so just beat until you reach the consistency you desire).
7. Fold in cheese.
8. Stuff potato shells and place in a 13x9x2 baking dish.
9. Drizzle remaining melted butter over tops of potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and crumbled bacon pieces.
10. Return to oven and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
11. Potatoes may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. Allow additional time for reheating.
12. *Note: If you can't find large potatoes, bake extra potatoes. Otherwise the cream and sour cream will result in too much liquid for the potatoes. I do the 3 large potatoes and then bake an extra smaller potato (which I don't stuff but use the pulp). I also mash the potatoes before adding any of the other ingredients -- and I combine the cream, sour cream, salt and pepper in a bowl and add a little at a time to the potatoes as I continue to mix them. This way you can better judge the consistency of the pulp and not get the potatoes too runny. I then add the onions and cheese.
13. The cooking time includes the time to do the initial baking of the potatoes.