Twice Baked Is Better Than Half Baked

Are you a good cook?  I don’t think I’m a great cook, but since I like to cook, I think I’ve become a passable cook.  My strengths are that I like to see the patterns and the science of cooking and that I enjoy the challenge of getting everything served at the same time.  Okay, just call me a nerd because I am.  A long-time, good friend (who knows who she is) used to call me Mr. Spock because of my analytical skills.

Despite my above mentioned strengths, I have made a few half-baked cooking moves.  Let’s see if I can remember:

Absentmindedly brought my waffle batter instead of pancake batter for a pancake night at a church function

Mistakenly used cayenne pepper for chili powder (see sloppy joe recipe)

Several baking flops using salt instead of sugar or forgetting the baking powder or soda

Tonight, actually, when I forgot to half my recipe for herbed rice

Walked away from a cheesy sauce and returned to cheese chunks

Melted chocolate in the microwave and cooked it into a big chocolate lump

Made several Rachael Ray recipes, ignoring the fact that my husband doesn’t like the ingredients, and thus faced a ton of leftovers since Rachael’s 4 servings could feed an entire baseball team

Unwittingly stirred burned stew up into the unscathed upper stew, ruining the whole pot

So, why are you taking cooking advice from me, anyway?  Ha!  Truthfully, though, you know I won’t give you any of my missed-the-mark meals.   And here is a winner!  I adapted it from the recipe in the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and the boys love it as a main meal or a side dish.  Twice baked potatoes are a sure crowd pleaser-so don’t be afraid.

Lisa’s Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 slices of cheddar cheese

2-3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Scrub potatoes thoroughly, pat dry with paper towel.  Poke potatoes with a fork.  Bake in oven for 60 minutes.  Cool 10-15 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise.  Gently scoop cooked potato pulp out and put in large mixing bowl, setting aside skins.

Mash potato pulp with electric mixer on low speed.  Add sour cream, garlic salt and pepper.  If mixture is too stiff, add milk by tablespoon until desired consistency.  Fill skins with mixture so they barely rise above skin edges.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Remove from oven.

Add 1/2 cheese slice (cut on diagonal) to each potato, top with a tsp or so of bacon.  Place in oven for an addition 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese. 

On a cooking show, they suggested cutting the bacon ahead of time for small crumbles.  Revolutionary!

You know I love to use that ice cream scoop!