Twice Baked Breakfast Potatoes For Two Recipes

Steps:

• Scrub potatoes; pierce several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 15-17 minutes or until tender, turning once., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter until over medium-high heat. Add the eggs; cook and stir until set. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside., When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving thin shells. In a large bowl, mash the pulp with sour cream. Stir in the bacon, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/4 cup chives, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs and sausage. Spoon into potato shells., Place on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and chives. Serve with additional sour cream if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
• Bake for another 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Position racks in the top and middle of the oven, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Poke holes all over them with a fork. In a large bowl, toss them with the oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the potatoes directly on the top rack, and place a baking sheet or a piece of foil on the middle rack to catch drips. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin is crisp and potatoes offer no resistance when a knife is inserted in their centers. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Slice the top third lengthwise off the potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4-inch border of potato on the skin, and transfer the flesh to a medium bowl. Scrape the potato tops of all flesh, and add the flesh to the bowl. Place the bottoms on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Snack on the tops - chef's treat - or discard.)
• Mash the potato flesh with a fork or potato masher. Add the butter, and stir until smooth (try not to overwork). Add the milk, sour cream and cheese and stir to combine. (If you want the filling softer, add more milk.) Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, if using.
• Mound each potato skin with a quarter of the filling. Bake the potatoes until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Microwave (or bake in oven at 400 for 1hr) the potatoes until done.
• Allow to cool a bit.
• Slice about a 1" strip of the skin off the top of each potato.
• Carefully scoop out the pulp, placing in a large bowl, and leaving potato shells intact.
• Mash the potato pulp along with the margarine.
• Add milk, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper; combining well.
• Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells, piling high.
• Top with the crumbled bacon or bacon bits.
• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.