Twice-baked potatoes

Before the weekend my second youngest daughter Ingrid (age 9) came to me with a dinner request: She wanted me to make twice-baked potatoes and Caesar salad  ( Recipe to come). I thought that was a great idea! I just love it when my kids tell me what to make. Then I know they will actually eat it, and I don't have to try to come up with something, which is a constant challenge.
All my kids just love these potatoes, and they are so easy to make too, though it takes a little bit of time. This is not something you can pull off on a busy week night, but a great weekend meal when you are not rushed to put dinner on the table. Plain baked potatoes are great, but twice baked potatoes are even better. I definitely think it is worth taking the extra step of scooping out the potato "meat" (I don't like to use the word flesh, it just sounds so creepy!), mixing it with a few ingredients and putting it back in the skins for a second round of baking. Everyone was very pleased with Ingrid's choice of dinner and ate with gusto! Now Nikolas (age 16) has requested nachos, so look for this recipe in the near future.

Twice-baked potatoes

6 large baker potatoes (large Russets are fine too)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Garnishes:
Chives or green onions
Bacon pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pierce poatoes with a fork all over (do not wrap in foil!), bake on oven rack until tender, about 1 hour.

Cool about 10 minutes. Using a towel to hold the still warm potato, slice off the very top lid of each potato lenghtwise, discard lids. Scoop potato "meat" into a large bowl, reserving the intact skins. Add milk, sour cream, butter and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Here you could also fold in either chives or green onions. Mash lightly, you want it to be very lumpy. Scoop filling into empty potato skins and place in a baking dish just large enough to hold them close together. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until heated through and cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Garnish to your liking.

Recipe by, Fortheloveofdinner, 2011