Best Make Ahead Baked Potatoes Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wash potatoes and pat dry.
• Place potatoes, not touching, on a large baking sheet.
• You may need two baking sheets.
• Spray potatoes generously with non-stick cooking spray.
• Sprinkle outside of potatoes with a little salt.
• Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes "give" when gently squeezed, indicating they are done.
• In large mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.
• With a serrated knife, cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise, being careful to leave skins unbroken.
• With large spoon, scoop out the inside of potatoes, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the inside of the skin.
• Place potato skin shells, skin side down, on the baking sheet used to bake the potatoes.
• Put scooped out potato in mixing bowl as you remove it and mix to combine with butter mixture, adding skim milk as needed to make potatoes the consistency of slightly stiff mashed potatoes.
• You may need a little more or less milk to get the final desired consistency.
• Using the palm of your hand to support the potato shell while filling, spoon and press potato mixture into each half potato shell.
• Return filled shell to baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with shredded cheese and pat cheese to make it adhere to the potatoes.
• TO SERVE IMMEDIATELY: Return baking pan of potatoes to oven and bake about 15-25 minutes until potatoes are hot and cheese is melted.
• TO FREEZE FOR LATER USE: Cover potatoes with plastic wrap and place baking sheet in freezer, leaving several hours until potatoes are completely frozen.
• Remove potatoes from freezer and wrap each potato in a resealable plastic sandwich bag.
• Place wrapped potatoes into one or more gallon resealable freezer bags.
• Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
• TO COOK FROZEN POTATOES: Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place potatoes on baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake about 45 minutes.
• Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or more until potatoes are hot.
• Do not over bake.
• This method keeps the potato skins firm and crisp.
• If time is short, place potatoes in microwave and cook on high about 10 minutes.
• Remove and then place in 350°F oven to finish cooking.
• IN A BIG HURRY: These potatoes can be completely heated from frozen state in the microwave, heating them just until they are hot.
• Potato skins will be softer than if cooked in the oven.
• OR, they can be defrosted in the microwave and reheated, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.

MAKE-AHEAD BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork to allow steam to escape. Bake about 45 minutes or until tender.
• Cut thin lengthwise slice from each potato; carefully scoop out inside of potato, leaving a thin shell. Mash potatoes in large bowl until no lumps remain. Beat in sour cream and milk. Beat in brown sugar, butter and salt until potatoes are light and fluffy.
• Place shells in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Fill shells with potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until potato mixture is golden brown. (If baking filled shells immediately after mashing potatoes, bake about 20 minutes.)

MAKE-AHEAD BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Prick potatoes in several places. Microwave on HIGH 6 to 8 min. or until tender, turning over and rearranging after 3 min. Cool 5 min.
• Cut thin slice off top of each potato. Discard tops; scoop out centers into medium bowl, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Mash potato flesh. Add cream cheese spread, milk, cheese and bacon; mix well. Spoon into potato shells; wrap individually in foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat grill to medium heat. Unwrap potatoes; place on grill grate. Grill 15 min. or until heated through.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES, MAKE AHEAD

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400. Wash and scrub each potato completely but being careful as to not scrub off the peel.
• 2. Start by poking holes in each potato all the way around and placing them on the baking sheet. Let bake for two hours or until completely cooked through. Test by skewer or toothpick easily inserted into each potato completely thru the center. Any resistance and the potato is not cooked enough.
• 3. Once cooked, place potatoes on a wire rack to cool until you can hold in your hand. Slice each the long ways and then spoon carefully out all the meat inside the skin taking note not to dig too deep as to rip the skins.
• 4. Place the potato meat in the large mixing bowl. Place empty skins back on baking sheet and bake for 10 mins. Sprinkle a little salt inside the skin but be careful not too much.
• 5. Now while the skins are firming up, mash the potatoes in a large bowl adding all the ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup milk, and potato flakes.
• 6. Use a potato masher and hand blender to mix the ingredients well. If too soupy, add some of the potato flakes. Too stiff add the milk.
• 7. Once well mixed, fill each skin with the mashed potatoes. Cover with a little pepper and mozzarella cheese. Place back on cookie sheet.
• 8. Once all skins are filled place sheet in freezer for three hours. Remove from cookie sheets into zipped sandwich bags making sure as much air as possible is removed. Place back in freezer (will last up to a month).
• 9. When ready to eat, just take however many you want out and either microwave them for 3 mins or until heated all the way through or in an oven for 10 mins on 350 until heated.

MAKE-AHEAD ALL-DRESSED BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Prick potatoes in several places. Microwave on HIGH 6 to 8 minutes or until tender, turning over and rearranging after 3 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.
• Cut thin slice off top of each potato. Discard tops; scoop out centres into medium bowl, leaving 1/8-inch-thick shells. Mash potato flesh. Add cream cheese product, milk, cheese and bacon; mix well. Spoon into potato shells; wrap individually in foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
• Heat barbecue to medium heat. Unwrap potatoes; place on barbecue grate. Grill 15 minutes or until heated through.

MAKE-AHEAD BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork to allow steam to escape. Bake about 45 minutes or until tender. 2. Cut thin lengthwise slice from each potato; carefully scoop out inside of potato, leaving a thin shell. Mash potatoes in large bowl until no lumps remain. Beat in sour cream and milk. Beat in brown sugar, butter and salt until potatoes are light and fluffy. 3. Place shells in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Fill shells with potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours. 4. Heat oven to 400ºF. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until potato mixture is golden brown. (If baking filled shells immediately after mashing potatoes, bake about 20 minutes.)

MAKE-AHEAD BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork to allow steam to escape. Bake about 45 minutes or until tender.
• Cut thin lengthwise slice from each potato; carefully scoop out inside of potato, leaving a thin shell. Mash potatoes in large bowl until no lumps remain. Beat in sour cream and milk. Beat in brown sugar, butter and salt until potatoes are light and fluffy.
• Place shells in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Fill shells with potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until potato mixture is golden brown. (If baking filled shells immediately after mashing potatoes, bake about 20 minutes.)

MAKE AHEAD BAKED MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes in large pot of boiling water and cook until tender.
• 2. While potatoes are boiling, saute onion and garlic in butter till transparent. When potatoes are tender, drain the potatoes and add the sauteed onion and garlic and the rest of the ingredients (except for the bread crumbs) A mix master makes this an easy job. If you dont have one, a hand blender would work just as good. Mix it all until creamy.
• 3. Place mixture in a 2 quart baking dish. At this point, you can cover and put it in the refrigerator for up to a day before baking. (adding the bread crumbs right before baking) Or, you can top with Panko bread crumbs (or whatever topping you wish) and bake right away. Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes,until top is browned and golden. Let sit for a few minutes and dig in!
• 4. I love the fact that you can make these ahead of time and bake them when you are ready. One less thing to have to do at the last minute. And, they are full of flavor! I usually do these without waiting, as it is easy and delicious.