Friday, 19 June 2009

Recipe - Twice Baked Potatoes

This is yet another dish which is fairly easy to cook, but you get quite a lot back from it. It might take some time from start to finish but you are not doing anything for most of that time.

My recommendation would be to sip on some nice wine or drink a beer or three while you wait for the potatoes to finish in the oven.

I haven't given any exact proportions for the butter, creme fraiche or grated cheese since mash is normally a very personal thing. As for the other ingredients, if you don't like my proportions - change them. This is definitely a dish that leans towards freestyling. Cook it the way you like, don't follow this recipe to the letter.

These potatoes makes an excellent side barbecued meats but you can also have them as a dish on their own if you want. Match the moment.

Let's see how to make this then....

Ingredients, makes 4 halves
2 large baking potatoes
Olive oil
Creme Fraiche
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cut into pieces and cooked until crispy
Grated cheese, I used Monterey Jack
3 spring onions, halved and sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 200c.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Prick them all over with a fork and apply some olive all over them. Put them directly on the wire rack in the oven.

Let the potatoes cook for about 1hr 15min and then remove them from then and let them cool down a bit.

When cool enought to handle, use a kitchen towel or oven mitt, split them halfways. Scoop out the potato flesh, being careful not to pierce the potato skin. Put the empty skins on a baking tray.

Put the potato through a ricer, or use a masher, and add creme fraiche and butter to your own taste to make a mash to your liking. Add in most of the bacon and cheese as well as all of the spring onions. Mix well and season to taste.

Spoon the mash back into the potato skins, top with the remaining bacon and cheese. Put the baking tray with the skins back into the oven until the cheese is nicely melted and cooked to your liking, about 15 - 20 minutes.



  1. These sound so indulging and yet a perfect complement to any meat dish. In fact, since they have bacon in it already, I'm tempted to cook them and eat them as they are! The perfect jacket!

  2. Thank you!

    Yeah, they work fine as a 'standalone' dinner. That's how I had them this time.

    // Mike



// Mike