Tasty Tuesday . . . Twice Baked Potatoes

I was searching for a side dish that would freeze well to do for my cooking club. I came across this recipe. It is so good! I made it tonight and I had some filling leftover so I just put that in a casserole dish and baked it to go along with our meatloaf and green beans! I thought I would post the recipe for you with my changes (because I always have some). This recipe calls for 10 lbs. of baking potatoes which are on sale at Aldi for $1.99. If you don't want to do this many than just cut the recipe in half. If you practice the pantry principle (always have your pantry stocked or try to) then you should have most of this on hand. I always try to have cream cheese on hand in case I want to make my Alfredo sauce or something else yummy.

Kell's Twice Baked Potatoes

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10 lbs baking potatoes
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream, divided
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2-1 cup milk
garlic powder parsley or chives
salt

1. Scrub the best sized 12 potatoes in the bag. Poke each with a fork and bake in oven at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
2. While those bake, peel the rest of the potatoes and boil until soft. Drain.
3. Cut baked potatoes lengthwise and scoop insides into a bowl. You should end up with 24 shells. Place these on cookie sheets.
4. In mixer with wire whisk, combine one package cream cheese, one stick butter, and 1/2 cup sour cream until blended.
5. Add scooped insides of baked potatoes and a little less than half of the boiled potatoes and mix on low speed.
6. Add some milk and mix until it is the consistency you like.
7. Add garlic powder, parsley or chives, and salt. I just add it until it tastes good. I think about 1 1/2 teaspoons of each.
8. Fold in half of the shredded cheddar. You can use more or less, whatever you like.
9. Fill shells heaping and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until tops start to brown.
10. While those bake, repeat the recipe with the rest of the boiled potatoes. Place mixture in two baking dishes (foil bread pans work well) and freeze for later. ***To bake, thaw completely and bake in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until top starts to brown.
11. I freeze 8 of the baked filled shells individually for lunches, 8 more get frozen in a foil pan for later, and 8 end up being a side dish to dinner!

***My changes - I omitted the chives and/or parsley and I added bacon. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

For more kitchen tips and recipes please check out Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s recipes and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.