Greek Yogurt And Chive Twice Baked Potatoes With Optional Bacon Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until fork tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool slightly.
• Warm butter and cream in a small saucepan. Carefully peel hot potatoes, and cut into thirds. Pass potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Fold in cream mixture, yogurt, and chives. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place eight 6-ounce ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and divide potatoes among ramekins. Bake until tops are slightly puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with chives if desired before serving.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
• 2. Scrub and wash potatoes very well using a vegetable brush. Dry with a paper towel and rub with olive oil; sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt.
• 3. Bake potatoes in oven for about an hour, or until fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool until they can be handled but are still hot; about 10 minutes.
• 4. Using a knife, cut an oblong hole in the top of the potato. (You may need a clean dish towel or mitts to handle the potatoes.) Using a spoon, scoop out as much of the potato pulp as you can, leaving the side walls intact. Scrape the pulp out of the tops you cut off, too, and discard the "lid".
• 5. Return the shells to the hot oven for another 10 minutes to crisp.
• 6. Meanwhile, mash the potato pulp using a potato masher, adding butter, salt and pepper, garlic, onion, cream, yogurt , cheddar (save a little cheese for the top) and chives. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• 7. Spoon the mixture into the potato shells until heaping full and return them to the oven. Sprinkle tops with remaining cheese and paprika.
• 8. Bake in 425°F oven (on top rack) until tops are golden and bubbly, about 10 minutes -
• 9. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.