When is the last time you had Twice Baked Potatoes? Here are two variations on a classic recipe: one with a cheddar cheese and bacon stuffing, the other with a blue cheese and chives stuffing.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Sometimes deciding what to make for dinner starts with the inspiration of just one ingredient. A friend of mine sent us some wonderful blue cheese this week and my father decided that he wanted to make twice baked potatoes with it.

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Two Recipes in One

Neither one of us has made stuffed potatoes in a while, so we ended up experimenting over several days with various combinations.

We settled on two — one a classic twice-baked potato mashed with some combination of sour cream, milk, and butter, and mixed in with crumbled bacon, green onions, and grated cheddar cheese.

The other combination uses our blue cheese with some chopped chives.

Infinitely Adaptable Twice Baked Potatoes

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s wonderfully flexible.

The amounts shown are a guideline, but really it’s up to your own imagination and taste.

We like a creamy and fluffy potato stuffing, so we add cream and beat the potatoes with a hand mixer.

Any combination of topping ingredients will do. You could even stir in leftover meat like ground beef or chicken to make a more filling meal.

The Best Potatoes to Use

Russet potatoes are the best choice for making twice baked potatoes. Their shape and size works well for this purpose and one half of a stuffed Russet is a perfect single serving size (or eat two halves if you’re really hungry!)

The skins of Russet potatoes are also a little more sturdy than red potatoes or Yukon golds, which makes them easier to hollow out and stuff.

How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes

The name says it all, but just so we’re clear, here’s what you do:

Roast the potatoes whole until they’re easily pierced with a fork, just as if you were making regular baked potatoes. Cut them in half and scoop out the insides, leaving behind a thin shell of potato skin. Mash the insides, as if you were making mashed potatoes, and add in the other filling ingredients (cheese, cream, bacon, and so on). Divide the mashed potatoes between the potato skins and bake in the oven until piping hot.

Make-Ahead Twice Baked Potatoes

Although most of the work to make these twice baked potatoes is hands off, it does end up being rather time-consuming for a weeknight.

To break up the work, you can roast, mash, and stuff your potatoes up to three days ahead and refrigerate them in an air-tight container for up to three days. Then just warm the stuffed potatoes in the oven when you’re ready to serve.

Think about doing this on a Sunday afternoon and then reheating your twice baked potatoes for a quick meal during the week.

What to Serve with Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes are a classic side dish for a juicy steak dinner or meatloaf. With some wilted greens or a side salad on the plate, you have a complete meal.

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