I wanted to do twice baked potatoes for a cookout, but I wasn’t in the mood for cheese. So I thought I’d do the same preparation, but using the ingredients I’d normally put on a baked potato. I wasn’t sure how successful it would be, but everyone said it was better than the normal cheesy kind.
Ingredients
8 large Russet potatoes
1 cup bacon fat
1 cup sour cream
1 large onion
½ cup chives
Directions
Insert skewers in the potatoes and put them in a 400° oven. You can wrap them in foil, like I did in that link, or do them unwrapped, like I did here. While they bake, melt a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat in a pan. Shred the onion and cook until well browned.
Go through the chives to pull out any dead stems, then dice and set aside.
Dice the onions fairly small.
When the potatoes are done (about 45 minutes to an hour, the skewers come out without resistance) take them out and cut them in half.
Scoop out the inside of each half with a spoon. Leave just enough so that the skin retains it’s shape. Take out a little more than you would if you were making potato skins.
Put the scooped-out potato in the same pan you did the onions in, and add the bacon fat, sour cream and onion. Mash everything together and check if you need salt and pepper.
If you recognize that tool I’m using, it’s the same one I used for the chili a while back. I didn’t want to like it, but I’m finding it makes a bunch of jobs easier. Thanks honey, you were right. (She didn’t read it the first time I said that. I’ll keep bringing it up until she says something about it.)
Once everything is mashed together, add the chives and mix gently. You don’t want to crush the chives and turn the potatoes green.
Scoop the filling back into the skins. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and you can keep these for several days in the refrigerator before cooking them, or freeze them for several weeks. I can’t say exactly how long. This is a brand new recipe and I haven’t kept any of them around that long. When you want to serve them, reheat in the oven or microwave until hot. (See, I can use the microwave.) For a crispy top, finish under the broiler.
And that’s it.
Ingredients
- 8 large Russet potatoes
- 1 cup bacon fat
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large onion
- ½ cup chives
Instructions
Clean the potatoes and wrap each one in foil. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes, or until they are soft all the way through. While the potatoes bake, shred the onion and cook in a few tablespoons of bacon fat until well browned. Remove from the pan and dice very fine. Chop the chives fine.
When the potatoes are done, cut them in half and scoop out most of the inside, leaving just enough for the skin to hold its shape. Add the scooped-out potato to the pan with the onion. Add the rest of the bacon fat, and the sour cream. Mash everything together. Check if it needs salt and pepper. Mix the chives in gently, so you don't crush them.
Return the potato mixture to the skins. Serve immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Reheat in the microwave. Finish under the broiler for a crispy top.
