Greek Yogurt and Chive Twice-Baked Potatoes with Optional Bacon
Oh, goodness. Oh, goodness gracious. You must try these potatoes.
Creamy, tangy, cheesy, addicting – four words to describe these twice-baked potatoes. Here are four more: Make extra. Trust me.
I have to admit I slipped this post just under the wire. Usually by Sunday, I’ve got the week’s posts all tidily lined up. This week, I don’t even really know why, I’ve struggled. I’ve been working on a pasta dish for awhile that I was finally ready to share, and so I made that for dinner Monday and snapped a few photos. They were horrible. I decided to whip up – and hopefully blog – these potatoes for last night’s dinner, once again trying to take a few decent pics before sitting the family down at the table to eat. Unfortunately, these photos really aren’t much better (I think I need to take my camera and lenses in for a good cleaning – surely it’s not the photographer?!)
But I am really, really excited about the recipe. It’s a keeper.
The best part is, right after thinking this up, my dad emailed asking me to bring a potato dish over on Sunday. Um, kismet, anyone?
Done and done. Meat-eaters will get their bacon, and those who prefer to go meatless will fare equally tastily.
That was a terrible sentence. It sounds like something that should only be uttered at Medieval Times. Apologies. I guess I’m just off my blog game this week.
Anyway! A little more about these wonderful little halves of heaven and then I’ll let you be.
Greek yogurt replaces the sour cream often found in twice-baked potatoes. The bonus is that the yogurt gives them way more of a delicious tang than sour cream does, at least, I think so. Fresh chives, those wonderful harbingers of spring, lend their distinct yet mild oniony flavor (and a few extra snipped over the top don’t hurt, presentation-wise). A little butter and, okay, a lot of cheese just push these bad boys over the top.
Betcha can’t eat just one. I certainly didn’t. Oh, and a little serving suggestion: we ate these as our main for dinner alongside asparagus grilled with olive oil and coarse salt. It was absolute perfection.
5 from 1 vote
Greek Yogurt and Chive Twice-Baked Potatoes with Optional Bacon
Greek yogurt replaces the sour cream often found in twice-baked potatoes for a healthier spin on this delicious classic. Meat-eaters will be happy to have bacon added to theirs, but this recipe is plenty delicious without it.
1 1/3cupshredded sharp or medium cheddar cheese(divided)
1/4cupshredded Parmesan cheese
1/2cupwhole milk
6tablespoonsunsalted butter
3tablespoonschopped fresh chives
1/4teaspoonkosher salt plus additional salt to taste
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper plus additional pepper to taste
If adding optional bacon to 50% of the potatoes:
4slicesbacon(cooked, drained, and roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup))
If adding optional bacon to all potatoes:
8slicesbacon(cooked, drained, and roughly chopped (about 1 cup))
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scrub potatoes, dry, and rub with olive oil and kosher salt. Prick them three or four times with a fork. Place directly on oven rack and bake 40 - 50 minutes until tender all the way through.
Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Allow potatoes to cool for about five minutes, until relatively easy to handle. Slice in half with a sharp knife and allow to cool, cut side up, for a few more minutes.
Using a spoon, carefully carve out the middle of the potato, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato along the sides and bottoms. This helps the potato to stay rigid.
Carefully set potato halves hollowed side up on a roomy baking sheet.
Place potato innards in a large bowl along with the Greek yogurt, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk and butter on medium heat just until the butter has melted. Add to the potato mixture. Using a potato masher or a fork, stir and mash until only small lumps remain. Stir in the chives, salt, and pepper. If adding bacon to the entire recipe, go ahead and stir that in now as well. If you're adding it to half of the recipe only, don't add it yet!
Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you'd like.
Carefully spoon potato and Greek yogurt mixture into six of the potato halves, mounding as much as you can without the filling spilling over the sides. If adding bacon to half the mixture, stir the bacon into the remaining mixture then continue filling the rest of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheddar cheese over each potato half.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the filling is heated through and the potatoes begin to turn golden brown.
Garnish with additional fresh snipped chives, if desired. Serve.