Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Twice baked potato casserole gives you all the stuffed-potato flavor with none of the scooping hassle. Russet flesh baked with sour cream, bacon, cubed and grated cheddar, and green onions.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
16 minCOOK
110 minREADY
127 minTwice baked potato casserole takes the fussy, one-at-a-time work of stuffing individual potato skins and turns it into one glorious 9×13 pan for a crowd. Russet potatoes get baked whole until tender, scooped out of their skins, and mashed chunky-smooth with butter, sour cream, and a hit of heavy cream for body.
The mix-ins are where it earns its keep. Crisp crumbled bacon for smoke, cubes of sharp white cheddar that melt into pockets of molten cheese, grated cheddar folded through for even flavor, chopped green onions for freshness, and three eggs to bind everything into a custardy set. Topped with more grated cheddar, it bakes again until the top turns golden and the edges bubble.
Chef Tips
- Bake the potatoes whole, pricked with a fork. Wrapping in foil steams them and you lose the fluffy baked-potato texture this dish depends on.
- Scoop the flesh while the potatoes are still warm. Cold potato mashes into a gluey paste instead of fluffy chunks.
- Leave the mash chunky, not smooth. Overmashing develops starch and turns the casserole dense and gummy.
- Cube half the cheddar instead of grating all of it. The cubes stay intact during baking and give you melty pockets that grated cheese blends away.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Scrub the potatoes well and rinse under cool running water.
Pat dry with paper towels and prick the potatoes in several places with a fork.
Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender.
Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
When the potatoes have cooled, cut each potato in half and, using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop the flesh out of the skins, leaving as little flesh as possible.
Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add 1 stick of the butter, the sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and mash until chunky-smooth.
Add the bacon, cubed white Cheddar, half of the grated Cheddar, the green onions, and eggs and mix thoroughly.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch casserole with the remaining tablespoon of butter and reduce the oven temperature to 375℉ (190℃).
Place the seasoned potato mixture in the prepared casserole and top with the remaining grated Cheddar.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.
Serve hot.
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