Jump to Recipe

Twice baked potatoes sure are a labor of love, but man are they delicious when you can finally sink your teeth into that first bite. *drools* All potatoes, really, have a special place in my heart, and the twice baked variety are no different. It is now that I will tell you the special story of twice baked potatoes and why I cherish them so dearly. I know this is really why you come to my blog. What you look forward to the most. What food bloggers are so well known and admired for. Just kidding. Aren’t you SO glad I include the “Jump to Recipe” option right at the very top of every single blog post? I still get to tell my story, and you get to hop skip and jump right to the thing that you came here for. Everybody wins!

Let us begin. When I was in high school, my sister dated this awesome guy named Justin. They dated for a few years and shared an apartment together while they were both going to college here in Connecticut. But then my sister took a job in Tennessee and moved down south and long story short, she and Justin ended up breaking up. Well, my family really liked Justin, and vice versa (I think anyway), so we all kind of stayed in touch with him even after he and my sister parted ways. It didn’t seem weird to me at the time, but man would I have hated my family if they did something similar with any of the guys I used to date. They were not at all worth keeping in touch with, so I never had to worry about that. Not Justin though. He was the best and still is.

Anyway, Justin and I used to hang out even after he and my sister broke up, which shouldn’t surprise you if you read the paragraph prior to this one. I’m not sure why, but “our thing” quickly became twice baked potatoes. We would make them every single time we hung out. And then we’d proceed to eat like half of what we had just made, in one sitting. What is it about bacon and cheese and ranch dressing and potatoes that just makes for a winning combination? I can’t get enough. I should probably stop making them for this exact reason, but I won’t stop eating potatoes, ever. And that’s a fact.

Mike loves twice baked potatoes too. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled he was when I set one of these babies down in front of him and he learned it contained absolutely no dairy or sugar at all. So, you know. No ranch dressing and no cheese. I got the bacon and the potatoes though! 2 out of 4 ain’t bad, so I’m told. But I love these potatoes, and a few bites in he really came around to them as well. They make an awesome side dish if you’re doing a round of Whole30, or if you are intolerant to gluten and dairy. I’m not going to say they’re making it into the regular rotation in my house, only because they take so dang long, but I’ll be enjoying this recipe as a special treat for sure in the years to come! So give them a try and let me know what you think!

thehungryhungryhiker

Twice Baked Potatoes

A Whole30 spin on a side dish classic – Twice Baked Potatoes! Free from gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, and grains.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and dried completely about 6 small/medium potatoes
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ lb bacon, cut into lardons check labels for Whole30, I use ButcherBox, reserve 2 tbsp bacon fat
  • ½ cup avocado oil mayo check labels for Whole30, I use Sir Kensington's
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk check labels for Whole30
  • juice from ½ lemon
  • 1 + ½ tsp dried parsley
  • 1 + ½ tsp dried dill weed
  • 1 + ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried chives
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • pinch fresh ground black pepper
  • green onions, sliced, for serving

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the potatoes on a medium sheet pan. Use a paring knife to poke 15-20 holes in each potato all over. Distribute 1 tbsp avocado oil and ½ tsp sea salt over the potatoes and use your hands to rub in to the potatoes all over. Roast the potatoes at 400° F for 45-50 minutes until soft and cooked through.
  2. While the potatoes roast, prepare the bacon. Add the lardons to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally until browned and crisp to your liking, about 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate. Move 2 tbsp of the bacon fat to a large bowl.
  3. When the potatoes are almost done roasting, add the rest of the dressing ingredients to the bowl with the bacon fat. Add the bacon bits, mayo, almond milk, lemon juice, parsley, dill weed, garlic powder, chives, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Whisk with a fork to combine.
  4. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven. When cool enough to handle, take the paring knife at a 45° angle and cut the tops off of the potatoes. Scrape as much of the potato insides as you can from the potato tops and place the insides in the bowl with the dressing. Set the tops aside. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides of the potatoes and place the insides in the bowl. Be careful to not get too close to the sides of the potatoes; you don't want to poke a hole in them! Once all the potato insides are in the bowl, stir with a spoon to combine the mixture completely. Use a small spoon to stuff the potato shells with the potato/dressing mixture.
  5. Place the potatoes back on the sheet pan and roast at 400° F for another 10 minutes, until warmed through completely. Remove from the oven, top with the sliced green onions, and serve immediately. Enjoy!