Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 6 large baking potatoes (about 10-12 oz. each)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup melted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream (i use fat free)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (i use fat free)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (can use regular)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• paprika
• crumbled bacon, pieces (cooked)

Recipe

• 1 rub potatoes with oil and pierce with knife or fork. bake at 400 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. allow to cool to the touch.
• 2 slice and remove top quarter of each potato, let cool for 5 minutes; carefully scoop out pulp leaving 1/4 inch layer of the potato on inside, making sure not to tear or rupture shell. place pulp in a large bowl.
• 3 butter inside and out of each potato shell with melted butter. sprinkle insides of shells with 1/4 t. salt.
• 4 increase oven temperature to 475. place potato shells, scooped side up on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and bake until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.
• 5 sauté onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender.
• 6 add to potato pulp along with cream, sour cream, salt and pepper (*see note below). beat until smooth (some folks donâ??t like their stuffed potatoes real smooth â?? so just beat until you reach the consistency you desire).
• 7 fold in cheese.
• 8 stuff potato shells and place in a 13x9x2 baking dish.
• 9 drizzle remaining melted butter over tops of potatoes. sprinkle with paprika and crumbled bacon pieces.
• 10 return to oven and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• 11 potatoes may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. allow additional time for reheating.
• 12 *note: if you can't find large potatoes, bake extra potatoes. otherwise the cream and sour cream will result in too much liquid for the potatoes. i do the 3 large potatoes and then bake an extra smaller potato (which i don't stuff but use the pulp). i also mash the potatoes before adding any of the other ingredients -- and i combine the cream, sour cream, salt and pepper in a bowl and add a little at a time to the potatoes as i continue to mix them. this way you can better judge the consistency of the pulp and not get the potatoes too runny. i then add the onions and cheese.
• 13 the cooking time includes the time to do the initial baking of the potatoes.