These 3 cheese twice baked potatoes with bacon are the ultimate twice baked potatoes. They’re made with Havarti, Gruyere, and shredded cheddar cheese. These easy twice baked potatoes are creamy, delicious and loaded with flavor. These are the best twice baked potatoes.
What is a Twice Baked Potato:
It’s basically a baked potato with the insides scooped out, sour cream, seasonings, and cheeses mixed in, put back into the potato, topped with cheese and bacon and cooked again. Possibly the best way to enjoy potatoes!
This twice baked potato recipe has simple ingredients. If you’re wondering how to make twice baked potatoes, follow along and I’ll show you an easy, yet fancy way, of preparing this delicious potato recipe.
How to make baked potatoes for twice baked potatoes:
You can follow this Steakhouse Style Baked Potatoes Recipe or I’ll give you the quick and dirty on how to make delicious baked potatoes with crispy, salty skins. If you’re looking for all the details, be sure to check out the tutorial on how to make baked potatoes.
This recipe works great with leftover potatoes but if you are starting from scratch, here’s a little guide for you.
- Find potatoes that don’t have bruises. ( if you do end up with a couple of potatoes with bad spots, this recipe is pretty forgiving and you can just cut those spots off. The skins of the baked potatoes will hold up better if they don’t have chunks taken out but as you can see from my top picture, it all works out fine, maybe just not as pretty.
- Wash the potatoes off.
- Using your hands and rub the potato under water. Rub briskly until all the dirt is off. You can also use a scrub brush to get into the “eyes” of the potato.
- Use a fork and poke holes, about a 1/2? deep into the skins of the potato. When the potato bakes, there is steam that builds up and needs to escape. If you don’t poke the potato, your potatoes might explode due to built up steam inside while cooking.
- Put the potatoes in a large ziplock bag. Pour 3-4 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I like to use Avocado Oil, olive oil, or any vegetable oil works great) onto the potatoes. Seal the bag and roll the potatoes around inside the bag until all the potatoes are covered in oil.
- Pour to potatoes onto a 9 by 13? baking dish. You can also use a cookie sheet with parchment or aluminum foil on it.
- Sprinkle Sea Salt on the potatoes, be sure to cover all sides of the potato.
- Bake in a 400-degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
- You will know when the potatoes are done baking when you can stick a fork in the potato and it’s soft inside. You won’t be able to pick the potato up or feel any hard, uncooked inside. Take out of the oven.
- Let the potatoes cool for about 5 minutes until you don’t risk burning yourself. Slice the potato in half and let it cool until you can handle it without getting burned.
How to make Twice Baked Potatoes:
If you’re wondering, how do you make twice baked potatoes, here are a few pointers…Once you have sliced the potatoes in half and they’re cool enough to handle. Scoop out the inside of the potato. You will want to leave a small layer of potato on the skins so the potato skins keep their shape. Put the insides of the potato in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Melt some butter and then brush the inside of the potato with melted butter. You want to make sure there is seasoning on eery later of the potato. Some twice baked potatoes are a little bland, this will ensure the skin is good enough to eat and there are no bland bites in your easy twice baked potatoes.
Sprinkle the potato skins with garlic salt also. This is what helps these loaded twice baked potatoes have so much flavor. Set the skins aside.
In the mixing bowl with the flesh of the potatoes, mash the potatoes with a hand potato masher. If you’re mixing/ mashing these potatoes with an electric mixer, be sure to mix slowly and don’t beat the potatoes. If you over-mix or over mash the potatoes, they will develop a gluey texture. So be sure to mix only as needed. I like a little chunk and texture in my twice baked potatoes, If you’re looking for really smooth baked potatoes, use a potato ricer for extra creamy twice baked, baked potatoes.
Add the sour cream, cheese, (shredded works best) garlic salt, onion powder, salt and pepper to the potato mixture. Taste test to make sure there’s enough flavoring. Add a little more garlic powder for some extra tang or some more onion powder if it needs to be a little sweeter and more depth in flavor.
Spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins. I threw away 2 potato skins but kept the flesh of the potato. I like to have really thick twice baked potatoes. If that’s something you like too, be sure to cook a couple of extra baked potatoes.
Sprinkle the 3 cheese twice baked potatoes with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, top with bacon bits, and cover with foil.
How long to cook twice baked potatoes:
~How to cook twice baked potatoes~
Once you have assembled the best twice baked potatoes recipe, cover them with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Take the foil off and brown the cheese on top for an additional 10 minutes, serve!
Can you freeze twice baked potatoes:
Freezing twice baked potatoes work great. Just assemble to potatoes but don’t do the final bake. Simply place them in a freezer ziplock bag and try taking out any excess air, and lay them flat to freeze. They can be frozen for up to a couple of months.
When you’re ready to bake these twice baked stuffed potatoes, take them out of the ziplock bag, lay them on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with more cheese if desired, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are warm in the center. Take the foil off the potatoes and bake another 10 minutes until the potatoes are golden.
This is the perfect potato recipe to make ahead of time. You can also make these a day ahead of a holiday dinner if you know you will be in a time crunch and then just do the final baking step when you need them.
3 Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 8 med Potatoes bakers, potatoes, free of blemishes if possible
- 3 oz Havarti Cheese
- 3 oz Gruyere Cheese
- 6 Tabelspoons Butter 4 Tablespoons for Potato mixture and 2 Tablespoons to brush inside the potato skins
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 4 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 1/2 cup Sour Cream low fat or full fat work great
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 3 oz + 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar for the mashed potato mixture plus 1/2 cup to sprinkle on the potatoes before you bake them.
- 1/2 cup Bacon Bits pre-cooked and packaged work great. Fresh made works great too.
- 1/4 cup Green onions sliced thin
Instructions
How to make the Best Baked Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- * Find potatoes that don't have bruises. ( if you do end up with a couple of potatoes with bad spots just cut those spots off.
- Wash the potatoes. Using your hands and rub the potato under water. Rub briskly until all the dirt is off. You can also use a scrub brush to get into the “eyes” of the potato.
- * Use a fork and poke holes, about a 1/2 deep into the skins of the potato.
- * Put the potatoes in a large ziplock bag. Pour 3-4 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I like to use Avocado Oil, olive oil, or any vegetable oil works great) onto the potatoes. Seal the bag and roll the potatoes around inside the bag until all the potatoes are covered in oil.
- * Pour to potatoes onto a 9 by 13" baking dish. You can also use a cookie sheet with parchment or aluminum foil on it.
- * Sprinkle Sea Salt on the potatoes, be sure to cover all sides of the potato.
- * Bake in a 400-degree oven for 50-60 minutes. * You will know when the potatoes are done baking when you can stick a fork in the potato and it’s soft inside. You won’t be able to pick the potato up or feel any hard, uncooked inside. Take out of the oven.
- * Let the potatoes cool for about 5 minutes until you don’t risk burning yourself. Slice the potato in half and let it cool until you can handle it without getting burned.
How To Make The Best Twice Baked Potatoes
- Once you have sliced the potatoes in half and they're cool enough to handle. Scoop out the inside of the potato. You will want to leave a small layer of potato on the skins so the potato skins keep their shape. Put the insides of the potato in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Melt some butter, about 2 Tablespoons, and then brush the inside of the potato with melted butter. You want to make sure there is seasoning on eery later of the potato. Some twice baked potatoes are a little bland, this will ensure the skin is good enough to eat and there are no bland bites in your easy twice baked potatoes.
- Sprinkle the potato skins with garlic salt. This is what helps these loaded twice baked potatoes have so much flavor. Set the skins aside.
- In the mixing bowl with the flesh of the potatoes, mash the potatoes with a hand potato masher. If you're mixing/ mashing these potatoes with an electric mixer, be sure to mix slowly and don't beat the potatoes. If you over-mix or over mash the potatoes, they will develop a gluey texture. So be sure to mix only as needed. I like a little chunk and texture in my twice baked potatoes, If you're looking for really smooth baked potatoes, use a potato ricer for extra creamy twice baked, baked potatoes. Add the sour cream, cheeses, (shredded works best) garlic salt, onion powder, salt and pepper to the potato mixture. Taste test to make sure there's enough flavoring. Add a little more garlic powder for some extra tang or some more onion powder if it needs to be a little sweeter and more depth in flavor.
- Spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins. I threw away 2 potato skins but kept the flesh of the potato. I like to have really thick twice baked potatoes. If that's something you like too, be sure to cook a couple of extra baked potatoes.
- Sprinkle the twice baked potatoes with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, top with bacon bits, and cover with foil.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and brown the cheese and crisp the bacon on top for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle the sliced green onions on the potatoes and serve!
Nutrition
If you’re a potato fan, here are a few more recipes you’ll love…
Loaded Baked Potato Skins Recipe
Slow Cooker Cheesy Hash Brown Potatoes
Cheesy Hash Browns with Bacon and Ham
Fingerling Potatoes with Parmesan and Rosemary
The Most Amazing Classic Scalloped Potatoes
Slow Cooker Hams and Cheese Scalloped Potatoes
Cheesy Potato Casserole or Funeral Potatoes
Creamy Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
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