TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH BACON, BROCCOLI & CHEDDAR

TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH BACON, BROCCOLI & CHEDDAR image

Yield 2-4 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 Russet Potatoes
4 Slices Bacon
1 handful of Broccoli
2 Minced Scallion Stalks
Hunk of Grated Cheddar Cheese
2 Cloves Garlic Smashed & Minced
Glob Sour Cream
1/2 Stick Butter
Paprika & Chili Flakes (if you want)
Dash of S & P

Steps:

Preheat your oven to 400. Take butter out of the fridge and let rise to room temp. Scrub the potatoes and stick them straight on the bottom oven rack for 30m. Bacon & Broccoli Prep: You'll need a pan for bacon and a small pot for the broccoli. While the potatoes are warming up, set two burners to med-high (7-8 on the dial). Fry the bacon until crispy, and crunch into bits. Drop 2/3 of the bacon In a medium mixing bowl. Reserve 1/3 for garnish. Also reserve the bacon fat! In the small pot, add enough salted water to cover the broccoli (you don't need much) and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until al dente. Shock and strain in cold water. Chop up 2/3 very finely and throw in same bowl as bacon. The remaining 1/3, cut into small florets and reserve for garnish. Grate the Cheese into the bowl, reserving a bit for garnish. Back to the Spuds: When the 30 minutes are up, puncture the potatoes 4-6 times with a fork and turn over. Puncture deep. Cook another 30m and remove from the oven. Let stand 10m so you don't burn your hands when handling. While the potatoes are cooling, add sour cream, garlic, butter, S&P, (paprika/chili flakes) grated cheddar and scallions to the pot with the broccoli and bacon bits. Cut the top 1/4 length off of the potato. Carefully scoop out the potato innards and add to your bowl of goodies. Scrape as much as you can while keeping the potato skins in tact! Add the reserved bacon fat to the bowl and stir to combine all ingredients - Basically, you are making really rich mashed potatoes here. Now, scoop the mixture back into the skins and place the stuffed spuds on a baking tray (a cookie sheet will do). Stick back in the oven and bake for 20m or until the potato stuffing starts to brown. Add the reserved broccoli, bacon and grated cheese garnish and continue to bake until melted. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and shove in mouth.