TWICE BAKED POTATOES
serves 6
4 large russet potatoes
8 T unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 T fresh snipped chives
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Scrub potatoes and poke with a fork. Bake for about an hour until skins are crispy and potatoes are soft. Remove and let cool for about 15 minutes for easier handling.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scrape out the flesh into a mixing bowl . After each potato half is in the bowl sprinkle a good pinch of kosher salt and 1 T butter. Repeat until all the potatoes are in the bowl. Save 1 T butter to dot the top of the casserole.
Using a fork mash the potatoes- while adding the sour cream, pepper and chives- don’t over mash leave it a little chunky. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Transfer the potato mixture to a shallow rectangular baking dish. Spread evenly and dot the top with the remaining butter- lots of little dots will help make a crispy top over the creamy potatoes. At this point you can refrigerate for later re-heating. Remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to final baking.
Or,pipe the potatoes back into the potatoes skins- simply lightly butter the skins, and using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tube-pipe in the potatoes. Or, for a more elegant presentation pipe the potatoes onto a baking pan and discard the skins.Brush with melted butter. Cook in the below manner. They will fall some the longer you cook them- so keep an eye on them.
Bake at 375 for about 20- 30 minutes- if the top isn’t crispy enough run it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Serve hot.
