Twice Baked Potatoes



I can't even tell you the last time I had twice baked potatoes.

It has to do with the time constraint... it takes a lot of time to bake potatoes once -- but then for a second time?! I don't typically have that much time to make dinner at night, especially now that I'm teaching full time.


But -- with Frog Prince working from home, it was easy to ask him to scrub some potatoes and bake them so they were ready for their second baking when I got home!!

These potatoes were delicious.


A great combination of veggies and cheese... oh my.

We ate them as a meal in and of themselves, but they would be great served up with grilled chicken, or even a large salad.

My dear friend Lucy gets all the credit for these gems -- and she made them in advance and frozen them!  Check out her directions for preparing them for your freezer.

Bacon and Spinach Twice Baked Potatoes - Adapted from Lucy
{Print Recipe}

~6 large baking potatoes
salt
pepper
3 T butter
1/8 C milk
~2 C fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
1/4 C cooked bacon crumbles
1 1/2 C colby jack cheese

Wash potatoes and poke holes in the skin.  Lightly salt the skins while they are still moist {so the salt sticks}.

Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork.


Allow the potatoes to cool for 20-30 minutes until they have cooled enough to handle.

Meanwhile, cook the spinach -- boil it in about 1 inch of water until wilted.


Slice them in half lengthwise and allow them to cool for another 20 minutes.


Then, carefully scoop out the insides and place them in a large bowl.


Mash the potatoes in the bowl with butter and milk; season with salt and pepper.


Next, toss in the spinach and bacon.


Stir until well mixed.


Then, mix in the cheese.


Carefully fill the potato shells on the cookie sheet.  {Here's where you'd stop if you were freezing the potatoes}


Return potatoes to the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 400.


Serve warm!


These even warmed up excellently the next day for lunch!!

Yum!


Thanks, Lucy!!


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This post is linked to: Ingredient Spotlight.