Cooking Lesson #516: Twice Baked Potato Casserole

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Baked potatoes are great; twice baked are even better. When we first started this blog, it was all about creative cooking during the Covid-19 lockdown. It still is all about fun and flavor, but now we want to be sure we include some recipes that are sensitive to the impact of the current state of inflation on grocery budgets.
 
Though the price of potatoes are up about 16% over last year at this time, they’re still much more affordable than many other items in the produce section. I used bacon for this cooking but you can use leftover chopped ham (or other protein) or even chopped SPAM if you are really pinching pennies. Or consider leaving out the meat altogether.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time:  1 hour 30 minutes
Yield:   8 servings
 
Ingredients 
1/2 pound thinly sliced bacon
8 russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 sticks (1/2 pound) salted butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Cheddar or Jack (or a mix of both), plus more for topping
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I prefer Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)
3 green onions, sliced in rounds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400° F.
2. Cook the bacon in a sauté pan until crispy; let cool and then crumble; set aside.
3. Scrub the potatoes, then place them on baking sheets. Rub the potatoes with the oil and bake until tender; 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside.
5. Remove the hot potatoes and lower the oven temperature to 350⁰ F.
6. Slice the butter into pats and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the bacon and sour cream.
7. With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise and scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl. Save the skins for potato skin appetizers.
8. Smash the potatoes with a potato masher.
9. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and some salt and pepper and mix well.
10. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
11. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish.
12. Top with more grated cheese and bake until warmed through and the cheese is melted; about 25 to 30 minutes.

ChefSecret:  Save the skins for potato skins appetizer. It’s a two-fer! Make it colorful with chopped bell pepper pieces.

Quip of the Day:  “Who is the most powerful potato? Darth Tater.”
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

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©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2022

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