Best Twice Baked Potatoes (Creamy & Easy!)
Easy, creamy, and crowd-pleasing twice baked potatoes with mini Dutch potatoes, goat cheese, and crispy bacon. Perfect gluten-free, no added sugar sides or appetizers!*See Prep Notes below.
Servings 8 - 10
Ingredients
For the Bacon:
- 4 slices thick-cut no-sugar-added applewood smoked bacon (I like Applegate)
For the Potatoes:
- 1.5 lb. mini Dutch potatoes (about 20 potatoes)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Filling:
- 5 tablespoons minced fresh chives divided
- 3 ounces goat cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons ghee room temperature
- 3-4 tablespoons chicken stock room temperature (or sub whole milk if you are not lactose-sensitive)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded goat cheddar divided
Instructions
A few prep notes:
- Look for potatoes that are about the size of a golf ball or slightly larger. You want these to be one-to-two bite-sized!
- It’s very important your potatoes are uniform in size. If they are varied, they will not cook evenly. You may need to purchase a few bags of potatoes to make sure you can have potatoes that are the same size. I find 1.5 pounds is generally 18-22 potatoes.
- You can swap regular sharp cheddar in place of goat cheddar if you can’t find it!
- Don’t want to coat the potatoes in bacon grease? Simply swap it out for 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
For the Bacon:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the bacon and transfer to the cold oven. Turn the heat to 375°F.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the bacon is crisp.
- Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up the excess grease. Chop the bacon into small pieces and set aside.
For the Potatoes:
- Increase the oven heat to 400°F.
- Carefully lift the parchment up and drain the grease off the sheet. Line the baking sheet with a new sheet of parchment.
- To the sheet, add the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease, discarding the rest.
- Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Massage the grease and seasoning into the potatoes and arrange in a single layer.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden on the bottom.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool to the touch. You will burn your fingers otherwise!
For the Filling & To Serve:
- Once the potatoes have cooled to the touch, start making the filling.
- Using a paring knife, cut the top ⅓ of the potato off. Repeat with all of the potatoes.
- Remove the skin from all of the “caps” that you just removed, and transfer the flesh of the potatoes to a medium bowl. Discard the skins.
- Using a small spoon, gently spoon the centers out of the potatoes, being careful not to scrape too much out (they will not hold their shape if you do this). Transfer the potato flesh into the bowl with the other reserved potato.
- Arrange the potatoes, cut side up, back on the sheet.
- If you have a ricer, rice the potato flesh into a large bowl. If not, add the flesh directly to the bowl. You will need to mash it more this way but it will still work great.
- To the potatoes, add the goat cheese, ghee, 4 tablespoons of chives, all the bacon aside from 1 tablespoon, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Begin to add the broth or milk in 1 tablespoon increments until you reach a smooth consistency. Add in ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese and mix to combine.
- Spoon the filling into each potato, gently pressing it into the potato skin and then piling it high. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, adding them back to the sheet. You may have a bit of extra filling.
- Finish the potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped bacon and ¼ cup of cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are starting to bubble and are slightly golden. Finish with the remaining tablespoon of chives. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!