PW Twice Baked Potatoes

Stolen directly from http://thepioneerwoman.com - I just wanted it on my own blog. 

Ingredients: 8 Potatoes, 2 sticks Butter, 1 cup Sour Cream, 1 cup Cheddar/Jack Cheese,1 cup Bacon Bits, 1/4 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Black Pepper, milk (if necessary) and Green Onion (optional).

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Wash, then place eight baking potatoes on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes, making sure they’re sufficiently cooked through.

Now begin slicing two sticks of butter into pats.

Until they’re all sliced. Place them into a large mixing bowl. 

One cup crumbled bacon added to butter.

Measure one cup of sour cream.

…And dump it into the mixing bowl with the other evildoers.

Now, the potatoes are all done. The reason you bake them "naked" is so the skin will be nice and firm—and strong enough to hold the filling later. Within a few minutes after you remove the baked potatoes from the oven, you need to begin scraping them out.

…Cut each potato in half lengthwise.

Now, with a large spoon, begin scraping out the insides into the bowl.

Keep scraping, being careful not to tear the shell. (Though if you do tear one, please don’t wig out and flog yourself.) You should leave just a little bit in there for support, but try to remove most of it.

Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a cookie sheet.

Begin smashing the potatoes with the other ingredients.

Now fetch that trusty Lawry’s Seasoned Salt from your spice cabinet. Anyone have a count of how many of my recipes call for Lawry’s? It’s an epidemic. Measure about 1/4 teaspoon and add it to the bowl. You can always adjust the seasonings later.

Now add about 1 cup of grated cheddar/jack cheese and mix it in well.

Go ahead and spice it up, baby.

Now, at this point, you could go ahead and stuff the potato shells. Or, if you like a little more flavor…

Add one green onion or more. 

Throw ‘em into the bowl…

Scoop out some of the yummy potato filling and begin filling the shells.

Keep going until the filling’s all gone. You might have a shell or two left over, and that’s okay. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping.

Now top each potato with more grated cheddar/jack cheese and pop ‘em in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato is warmed through.

Or, you could refrigerate them for up to three days until you wanted to serve, OR you could freeze them in Ziploc bags, just as long as you skipped the green onion step.