Check out this Fully Loaded Twice-Baked Potato Recipe stuffed with smoky pecan bacon, Minnesota’s famous Top The Tater, and cheese! The filling in this baked potato recipe is creamy deliciousness with a bit of a crunch from the bacon. Enjoy this recipe as a side or even as a meal!
You may be afraid to admit it, but this guy sure is not.
Potatoes are a superfood that can be made in a million ways, and I do not think I know a single person who does not like/love at least one form of a potato dish.
Okay, maybe a million ways is an exaggeration, however, potatoes can be, baked, grilled, smoked, mashed, and fried. Heck, I probably am missing a couple of ways.
Not only are potatoes cooked by so many different means, but they also are paired in tons of different ways as well.
In Northern Minnesota, where I am from, having meat and some type of potatoes is probably the most common. For example, seeing burgers and french fries, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes, or steak and fully loaded twice-baked potatoes.
P.S. If you have never had to top the tater, you need to find a way to get your hands on it. I personally eat it way too much (if that is possible), and so should you!
Alright, that last example might seem a bit specific but that is because that’s the recipe we are going to cover, and it goes great with having a perfectly seared and juicy steak or even a meal in itself.
This fully loaded twice-baked potato recipe is no joke. When all said and done this could fill someone up all by itself. However, I like eating it as a side dish.
Enough talking, let’s get down to making these twice-baked potatoes.
For the Perfect Steak to Enjoy with Your Twice Baked Potato: The Best Reverse Seared Ribeye Recipe: Reverse Sear Deliciousness
Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato Recipe
From the seasoned potato skin to the flavor-packed potato filling, this recipe will have you trying to scarf a second one down!
Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees Fahrenheit
Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes/1 Hour 30 Minutes
Baked Potatoes Recipe Filling Ingredients
- 6 Russet Potatoes
- 1/2 Stick of Butter
- 1- 1 1/2 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 8 Slices of Black Label Pecan Smoked Bacon
- ¼ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 6 oz Top the Tater
- Kosher Salt
- 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 Stick of Butter for Potato Skin
Equipment
- Large Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Large Glass Bowl
- Potato Masher or Stand-Up Mixer
- Fork
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Spoon
- Sauce Mop
- Small Bowl
- Plate
- Paper Towel
Looking for a Great Steak? Check out this Recipe: Reverse Seared Top Sirloin Steak
Baking The Potatoes
Joshs Cookhouse Tips: Before throwing these tators in the oven, make sure to give them a good rinse and even scrub before prepping the rest of the way. I do this just to make sure there Is no dirt on the outer layer of skin. Also, make sure to pat dry.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to bake the potatoes.
Step 2: Take out a large baking sheet and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. You will thank me when there are fewer dishes to wash.
Step 3: Take a fork and on one side of the potato poke four or five sets of holes along one side of the russet potato before
Step 4: In a small bowl, melt 1/4 stick of butter until completely melted. One after another, take your sauce mop and brush a thin layer of butter onto the side of the potato without fork holes and place it onto the baking sheet.
Step 5: Season this side with a light layer of salt and pepper and flip over and butter the top of the side of the potato with fork holes. Once again, season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Step 6: If the oven is fully preheated, place the baking sheet onto the middle rack and let bake for 1 hour. If fully cooked, pull the baking sheet out of the oven with oven mitts. Safety first.
Keep the oven on. It will be needed again.
Joshs Cookhouse Tips: You will be able to tell if the potatoes are done if you can poke a fork or toothpick into the potato and the inside is soft and offers little to no resistance. Kind of like checking a pork butt.
If the potatoes are not done yet, leave them in for another 10 minutes and check again. Repeat until you bake it all the way through.
Frying The Bacon For Twice Baked Potatoes
While the potatoes are baking, this is the perfect opportunity to fry your bacon.
Step 1: Heat a large frying pan to medium heat.
Step 2: Place all the Black Label pecan smoked bacon onto the large frying pan.
Step 3: Fry the bacon until it is just getting crispy. I like to stop it just before it gets super crispy, dry, and hard to bite into.
Step 4: Place the fried bacon onto a plate with a paper towel, which will help soak up any extra grease.
Step 5: After letting the bacon cool down, put it on a cutting board and chop it all into small pieces.
Put back on the paper towel and wait until you bake the potatoes.
Preparing The Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato
For this next step, I wore a cotton glove with a rubber glove over it to hold onto the potato. Use whatever you can to help hold the baked potato. It will be hot!
Step 1: Hold the potato with one hand and with your knife, cut lengthwise from about 1 inch away from the end of the baked potato to about 1 inch from the other end.
Joshs Cookhouse Tips: Not cutting exactly from one end to the other allows for the creation of a pocket that later will hold all of the potato filling inside the empty potato skin.
Step 2: With your hands, length-wise, give the potato a firm squeeze. This should cause the sides of the baked potato to push outwards and let us do the next step much easier.
Step 3: Set your large glass bowl or stand mixer next to the baking sheet. With your spoon in one hand and a baked potato in the other, start scooping out all of the guts of the potato into the glass bowl. Continue doing this until all the potatoes are empty.
Joshs Cookhouse Tips: Leave just a thin layer of the white inner part of the potato. This helps it hold its shape.
Step 4: In the small bowl used earlier, put the ½ stick of butter in it and warm it up in the microwave until soft. This should only take a few seconds. Add into a large glass bowl or stand mixer with the potato.
Step 5: In the large glass bowl, add in the ½ cup-1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it), 6oz of Top the Tater, ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp of ground black pepper, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of onion powder, and 2/3 of the chopped-up pieces of the Black Label pecan smoked bacon.
Step 6: Now, start mashing all of the ingredients together or turn on your stand mixer and let it handle all of the hard work. Mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Using the kosher salt, add to taste.
Joshs Cookhouse Tips: I add small amounts of kosher salt at a time and mix well. Keep doing this until the taste is to your liking.
Step 7: After everything is mixed well and tastes good, take the spoon and start scooping the potato filling back into the potato skins. I make sure to only do a few scoops at a time, then move onto a different potato, until all get completely filled.
Potatoes are all different sizes so I like to make sure they all will get loaded, that is the reason for only doing a couple of scoops at a time. Place all of the potatoes back onto the baking sheet.
Step 8: All of the potatoes should be completely loaded at this point, now take the ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese and sprinkle an even amount of cheese onto each fully loaded baked potato.
Step 9: Take the last bit of bacon bits you made and sprinkle those evenly on top of the fully loaded baked potato as well.
After all the above steps are completed, it is time to add the “twice baked” to our fully loaded twice-baked potatoes.
Finishing The Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
Hopefully, the oven is still at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise, it will need to be preheated again in order to bake.
This next part is fairly simple.
All you need to do is stick the baking sheet with the fully loaded twice-baked potatoes and pop it back into the oven on the middle rack to bake one last time.
Let bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt and start to turn golden brown.
Once you have that perfect golden top to your flavor-packed twice-baked potatoes, you can let them cool for a minute or two.
As I mentioned before, these potatoes are super filling and could probably be a meal on their own, but what fun would that be!
I’d say make yourself some juicy steaks or mouthwatering burgers to go perfectly with this twice-baked potato.
Just a side note, but make sure to try out the potato skin with a bite of the potato filling. It should be flavorful with the seasoning we added to the outside.
Well, I hope you enjoy the Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato Recipe, and let me know what you think of it at Joshs Cookhouse, where nothing is off the table.
Twice Baked Potato FAQS
How Long Does It Take To Reheat A Twice Baked Potato?
At 350 degrees Fahrenheit, reheat the twice-baked potatoes for 20 minutes. If not fully reheated, keep in the oven and check every 5 minutes until completely heated.
You can also reheat twice-baked potatoes quicker in the microwave. Put the potato on a plate and covered it with a paper towel in the microwave. On high, heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until fully heated.
What Kind Of Potatoes Are Best For Twice Baked Potatoes?
The reason that a baked potato is still hard in the middle after cooking is that the potato is not fully cooked.
Place the baked potato back into the oven and cook in 10-minute increments until the potato is fully baked.
Why Is My Baked Potato Hard In The Middle?
The reason that a baked potato is still hard in the middle after cooking is that the potato is not fully cooked.
Place the baked potato back into the oven and cook in 10-minute increments until the potato is fully baked.
Do You Need To Poke Holes In A Potato Before You Bake It?
It is a good idea to poke holes in a potato before baking. This allows for steam to escape the potato. It may not always happen, but a potato can explode from the pressure building up while baking.
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Equipment
- 1 Fork
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Plate
- Paper Towel
Ingredients
Baked Potatoes Recipe Filling Ingredients
- 6 Russet Potatoes
- 1/2 stick Butter
- 1- 1 1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 8 slices Black Label Pecan Smoked Bacon
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 6 oz Top The Tater
- Kosher Salt Add For Personal Taste
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 stick Butter for Potato Skin
Instructions
Baking The Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
- Poke holes into the russet potato with a fork. 4 or 5 times should do.
- Melt 1/4 stick of butter. Take your sauce mop and brush on a thin layer of butter onto the side of the potato without fork holes and place onto the baking sheet.
- Season this side with a light layer of salt and pepper and flip over and butter the top of the side of the potato with fork holes. Once again, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat for all 6 potatoes.
- Bake the potatoes for 1 hour. If fully cooked, pull baking sheet out of oven with oven mitts. Safety first.
- Leave the oven on for now.
- If the potatoes are not done yet, leave in for another 10 minutes and check again. Repeat until you bake it all the way through.
Frying The Bacon For Twice Baked Potatoes
- Heat a large frying pan to medium heat.
- Place all the pecan smoked bacon onto the large frying pan.
- Fry the bacon until it is just getting crispy. I like to stop it just before it gets super crispy, dry, and hard to bite into.
- Place the fried bacon onto a plate with paper towel, which will help soak up any extra grease.
- After letting the bacon cool down, put it on a cutting board and chop it all into small pieces.
Preparing The Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato
- For this next step, I wore a cotton glove with a rubber glove over it to hold onto the potato. Use whatever you can to help hold the baked potato. It will be hot!
- Hold the potato with one hand and with your knife, cut length wise from about 1 inch away from the end of the baked potato to about 1 inch from the other end.
- With your hands, length wise, give the potato a firm squeeze. This should cause the sides of the baked potato to push outwards making it easier to scoop the insides out.
- Start scooping out all of the guts of the potato into the glass bowl or stand mixer. Continue doing this until all the potatoes are empty.
- In the small bowl used earlier, put the ½ stick of butter in it and warm it up in the microwave until soft. This should only take a few seconds. Add into the large glass bowl or stand mixer with the potatoes.
- In the large glass bowl, add in the sharp cheddar cheese, Top the Tater, heavy whipping cream, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped-up pieces of the Black Label pecan smoked bacon.
- Mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Using the kosher salt, add to taste.
- Once mixed start scooping the potato filling back into the potato skins. I make sure to only do a few scoops at a time, then moving onto a different potato, until all get completely filled.
- All of the potatoes should be completely loaded at this point, now take the ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese and sprinkle an even amount of cheese onto each fully loaded baked potato.
- Take the last bit of bacon bits you made and sprinkle those evenly on top of the fully loaded baked potato as well.
Finishing The Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato Recipe
- Stick the baking sheet with the fully loaded twice baked potatoes and pop it back into the oven on the middle rack to bake one last time.
- Let bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has begun to melt and has turned golden brown.
- Once you have that perfect golden top to your flavor packed twice baked potatoes recipe, you can let them cool for a minute or two and serve.
These twice baked potatoes were awesome. I was skeptical at first.. how is it going to be better just by baking them longer but boy was I wrong! Especially adding all the fixings. DELICIOUS!
Happy to hear this recipe turned out well for you! Twice baked potatoes were a surprise for me as well when I first had them!