I think I originally got the gruyere and caramelized onion idea from a Cooking Light recipe... I forget what they recommended or what made it "light".. who cares! My version uses yukon gold potatoes, adds bacon, and jazzes up the presentation - my favorite way to dress up a twice baked potato is to turn it on it's end. I saw this somewhere on a blog a few years ago and it stuck in my head. It looks very attractive. You could use very small potatoes for bite-sized appetizers, or I have used medium sized potatoes fully expecting guests to take 2 or more (halves). I love potatoes in any fashion, don't you? Too bad I cut them out of my diet most of the time!
Elegant Twice Baked Potatoes - Yukon Gold, Caramelized Onions, Gruyere, and Bacon
By Kitchen Bliss
Base Ingredients:
1-2 medium sized potatoes per person, plus 3 extra for filling
butter
salt and pepper to taste
Customizations I have used:
gruyere cheese (amount varies per how many people you are serving)
bacon - my preference is to bake in the oven and then crumble
1 large onion
green onions or chives
sour cream
heavy cream or milk
More ways to customize:
Fresh herbs besides scallions and chives - whatever your preferences are, thyme, basil, dill, etc.
Cooked veggies besides onions - broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, leeks, celeriac, fennel, roasted garlic, etc.
Cheese, glorious cheese - parmesan, sharp cheddars, cream cheese, swiss in place of gruyere, pimento spread, gouda, creamy havarti, pinconning, etc.
Sour cream
etc
Let me know what great combinations you've come up with!
Directions:
Bake washed and poked potatoes in a preheated 415 degree oven until fork tender. Let potatoes cool slightly enough to handle them, but still warm enough to spoon out the insides. For the extra potatoes you baked, just peel and set aside in your large bowl.
For the remaining potatoes - Cut each end of the potato off slightly, in order to make a flat end which will be the bottom of your potato cup - very sturdy! Cut each potato in half. Use a spoon (a toddler spoon is usually thinner and the right size for small potatoes) to scoop out the insides but try to leave a 1/4inch thick shell of skin/potato, so that you end up with a cup. Sometimes I make a mistake and scoop too far and reach the bottom of the cup - have no fear, for minor cup breaches, it really doesn't matter - you will be filling it up with mashed potato soon and it will still probably hold up and look OK. No one is looking at the bottom of these things.
Great! The hard part is over. You have a big bowl of potato yumminess to be mashed up with whatever toppings you so choose. In the example photo above, I mashed the potatoes with butter, cream, salt, pepper, lots of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, crumbled bacon, and some sauteed onions. I used green onions cut on a bias and stuck one in the top of each potato for a cute and tasty decoration. Don't forget to salt and pepper your filling to taste - no one wants any bland potatoes.
The last step is to either put the assembled potatoes in the fridge overnight, maybe with suran wrap on top, or bake them straight away. I would recommend an oven of 375 and bake until warmed through and the cheese is melty. I reserved some shredded cheese and crumbled bacon for the tops for decoration as well. It gives your guests a preview of what deliciousness is inside. After you pull them out of the oven, then top with the fresh herb garnish, if using.
The first time I made this recipe, which I don't think I have a photo of - I used the Cooking Light version of caramelized onions and used gruyere, as noted here (except I added bacon):
- 2 cups vertically sliced red onion
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sugar; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Stir in sherry, Worcestershire, thyme, and garlic; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
I hope you enjoy this recipe - I think the presentation is unique but easy enough, and another great tip is you can make these ahead. Then before serving, bake in an oven until heated through and the cheese on top is melty. I'm not sure if you can freeze ahead, but if some one tries it, let me know. I seem to recall twice baked potatoes do usually freeze well, no?
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