Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are one of Camille’s family recipes. It’s something her mom would always make for dinner parties, holidays, and when she just wanted the family to feel special. Adding a bit of sweet potato to the regular potatoes makes these morsels just the right amount of salty, sweet, fatty goodness!

A note on potatoes. Any kind of white potatoes can be used for this recipe, but Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are the easiest because they have more durable skin. Camille also likes waxy potatoes because of the tenderness of the potato skins. When using waxy potatoes, cook for a shorter period of time (about 45 minutes) and be gentle when scooping out the insides. Leave some extra potato on the skin to create a more stable cup.

We like to pair these potatoes with Mushroom Gravy and/or Cranberry Sauce, especially for the fall! Mushroom gravy is a great pairing not only because of the flavor combination, but also because together these recipes use a whole head of roasted garlic. If you opt to just make the potatoes, roast the garlic in a small cast iron pan at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until soft, flipping the cloves 10 minutes in.

This recipe is great for holidays when oven space is sparse because they can be prepared in advance and warmed up the day of. We highly recommend turning leftovers into a gourmet brunch experience by serving a fried egg over the open face of a twice baked potato. Garnish with chives and voila: glamour brunch!

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Serves: 8 as a side

Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (active 30 minutes)

Ingredients:

3 lbs of russet potatoes (about 4)

1 orange sweet potato/yam

olive oil

4 garlic cloves, roasted and smashed (optional)

3/4 cup cashew cheese

2 T vegan butter (soy-free option, we like Miyokos)

salt

pepper

paprika (optional)


Pre-heat the oven 375 F. Stab the potatoes with a fork and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. If you have time, baking the potatoes the night before makes this a quick side. You can roast the garlic at the same time. Once tender, remove from the oven and cool.

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and spoon the innards out into a large bowl. Mash with the other ingredients (except paprika) until you have a nice mashed potato consistency (we like lumps, but if you like smooth, go for that)! Spoon this mixture back into the empty potato shells. Sprinkle with paprika (optional) and bake for another 15 minutes. The second bake serves the purpose of re-warming the potatoes and achieving some crispiness on top.