TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE AND GREEN ONION

TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE AND GREEN ONION image

Categories Potato

Yield 4 potatoes

Number Of Ingredients 6

4 russet potatoes (about 3/4 pound each), scrubbed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, as room temperature
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Place potatoes directly on oven rack; bake until very tender, about 60-70 minutes. About halfway through baking, prick the skins in a few spots to allow steam to escape. Move the potatoes to a cutting board and increase the oven temperature to 375º. Using oven mitts, grasp 1 potato in hand. Using serrated knife, cut off top 1/4 of potato. Using spoon, scoop out potato, leaving 1/2-inch-thick shell; transfer potato flesh to large bowl. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Mash potatoes until smooth. Beat 2 tablespoons butter into the mash. Work in the cream until fluffy and smooth, then beat in the goat cheese, green onions, and salt and pepper. Season the skins with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into the skins. You can make the potatoes ahead to this point and refrigerate them for several hours or overnight. Pinch off bits of the remaining T. butter to dot the potatoes before you bake them. Slide the potatoes into the oven and bake until filling is heated through and tops brown, about 20-25 minutes. (If you've refrigerated the potatoes, expect them to take almost twice as long to heat.