TWICE BAKED TATERS

Well, it's HOT in Florida.

How hot is it?

It’s so hot, my thermometer goes up to “I’m not kidding.” 

But it could be worse.

 

So, let's go into the kitchen and do some fun stuff.

To day we are going to make a batch of Twice Baked Potatoes. Yeah, I know this is about as easy as it gets. BUT, they are nice to have in the freezer for those nights (every night) when you don't want to go out to eat.

There is no real recipe for these but I would like to give you a few tips.

NOTE: These pictures were taken during two cooking sessions, so some of the dishes will look different, and the old counter tops were still in place.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Get some really BIG taters. I like the RUSSETS for baked taters. We got this batch from SAMS, just get a bunch of BIG ONES.

The first time I made these, I opted for my regular baked potato recipe. I punched a bunch of holes in each one with a fork, then rubbed them with oil. 

I discovered that it made the skin too moist and they tended to come apart when I scrapped out the tater part.

I just love the word 'tater'.

 See what happened?

So this time I simply poked the holes, and put them on a covered baking sheet.

Stick them dudes in the oven and cook until the internal temperature shows 190 or so. Time will depend on the size, mine cooked for 2 hours. You DO have a 'Themo Pin?”

Have a beer. 

 

And play with the president.

 "Gee Dad, what toy should we play with"

When the taters are cooked, cut them in half and let them cool for about ten minutes. Don't wait too long or they wont mash correctly.

Using a tablespoon (and a pot holder) CAREFULLY scrape out the tater part, leaving the skin in tact. Don't worry about getting it all, you want the skin to still be firm.

Now you can start mashing. We heat up some heavy cream. We start with a potato masher and mash.

ADD some butter and part of the cream and mash a bit more. You can also add a bit of sour cream if you like.

I don't

Now you can move on to the mixer. Add some salt & pepper and mix.

ADD more cream and butter until you get the consistency the way you want it.

Add Salt & Pepper to taste.

And you thought twice baked taters were fancy and hard to do.... DUH

Now that the taters are mashed up, you can use a spatula or a wide butter knife to spread the mashed up taters back into the skins.

Add two nice pats of butter, and you are DONE.

Put them in the freezer uncovered until they start to freeze. Then you can wrap them in foil without smashing them.

When needed, pull them puppies out of the freezer and throw them in a 350 degree oven until they are good and hot.

Enjoy.

Live long and prosper