Twice Baked Potatoes

This baked potato upgrade has become quite a traditional dish during the past two decades.  It makes a great appetizer or game day food, and it's really not hard.  Many people who make baked potatoes use these same ingredients.  They just sprinkle them on top of the potato.  Here you scoop out the insides, mix things up a bit, and stuff them back inside the potato.

·         4 large baking potatoes

·         Garlic salt

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         1/3 cup milk

·         1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

·         8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

·         Black pepper

·         Olive oil

  

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Wash potatoes.  Using a sharp knife remove any blemishes.  Dry potatoes with a clean paper towel.  Sprinkle garlic salt on potatoes and wrap each one individually in aluminum foil.   Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Allow potatoes to cool in foil on baking sheet for one hour.  Unwrap potatoes and slice in half lengthwise.  Carefully scoop out insides of potatoes with a spoon being careful to leave a small edge all the way around each potato.

Place scooped out potatoes into a large bowl and thoroughly mash.  Place potato shells on baking sheet.

Add sour cream, milk, half of shredded cheese, and half of crumbled bacon to mashed potatoes.  Add black pepper to taste.  Mix well.

Apply olive oil to bottom of potato shells.  Spoon potato mixture into shells.  Divide cheese among each potato half.  Top with remaining crumbled bacon. 

Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F until cheese is bubbly.