Middle Eastern Twice Baked Potatoes Recipes

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Poke the potatoes all over with a fork. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and then drizzle with the oil, turning them over to coat completely. Bake until the potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour. Let cool completely (leave the oven on).
• Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, being careful not to break the skins (it's better to leave a little flesh in the skin than to risk breaking it). Rice the potato flesh into a large bowl and set aside.
• Stir the milk into the potato flesh along with 2 cups of the Cheddar, and the sour cream, scallions, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper to taste. Place the potato skins on a baking sheet and divide the potato mixture evenly among them. Top the potatoes with the chopped bacon and the remaining 1 cup Cheddar. Bake until the cheese is melted, the potatoes are completely heated through and the tops are just beginning to brown slightly, 20 minutes more. Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Position racks in the top and middle of the oven, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Poke holes all over them with a fork. In a large bowl, toss them with the oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the potatoes directly on the top rack, and place a baking sheet or a piece of foil on the middle rack to catch drips. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin is crisp and potatoes offer no resistance when a knife is inserted in their centers. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Slice the top third lengthwise off the potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4-inch border of potato on the skin, and transfer the flesh to a medium bowl. Scrape the potato tops of all flesh, and add the flesh to the bowl. Place the bottoms on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Snack on the tops - chef's treat - or discard.)
• Mash the potato flesh with a fork or potato masher. Add the butter, and stir until smooth (try not to overwork). Add the milk, sour cream and cheese and stir to combine. (If you want the filling softer, add more milk.) Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, if using.
• Mound each potato skin with a quarter of the filling. Bake the potatoes until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

" MIDDLE EASTERN " TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
• Wash the potatoes to remove any dirt, pat dry with paper towels.
• Prick the potatoes all over with a fork, brush with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place the potatoes on a lightly greased baking tray and bake for about an hour or until cooked through.
• Cool for about 10 minutes.
• While the potatoes are roasting, drain the chickpeas, place in a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork.
• Add the ground coriander, the cumin, the crushed garlic and half the fresh coriander. Cover the bowl with with plastic wrap, and set aside.
• Once they have cooled, taking care to keep the shells intact, halve the cooked potatoes and scoop out the flesh.
• Mash the potato flesh until smooth and gently mix with the chickpea mixture.
• Fold in the yoghurt and tahini, and add a little more of either of these if the mixture seems too dry, season with the pepper and salt, to taste.
• Place the potato shells on a lightly greased baking tray and fill them with the potato and chickpea mixture.
• Place the filled potato shells in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
• Serve the potatoes with the remaining half of the chopped coriander.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.
• Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.
• Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)
• Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.