What dreams are made of, these Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes are scooped out, mixed with fixings and a handful of cheese, then stuffed back topped with even more cheese and finally baked. Trust us, being thankful is an understatement.
Thoroughly clean and dry the potatoes. Using a strong fork, poke each potato a few times all around and place on a baking sheet. Rub the potatoes with the oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast the potatoes until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool enough to handle.
While the potatoes are cooling, lay the bacon in a skillet and place on medium-high heat. Cook until crisp on both sides, turning once, about 12 minutes. Set on a plate to cool then finely chop.
Once cool enough to handle, set the potatoes down so they sit in a steady position. Cut the top ½ inch off each potato and scoop out the insides of both the tops and bottoms into a large bowl, leaving about a ⅛ inch of flesh on the inside of the bottoms. Discard the remaining skins from the tops and arrange the bottoms so they stand up straight on a baking sheet.
In the large bowl of potatoes, add 2 cups (250 g) of the grated Cheddar, three quarters of the scallions, chicken stock, sour cream, chèvre, butter, paprika and three quarters of the chopped bacon. Whip using a potato masher or handheld electric beaters, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Scoop the potato filling into each potato so that it is slightly overflowing. Use the edge of the spoon to swirl the filling and make crevasses to hold additional toppings. Sprinkle each potato with additional cheese, bacon and scallions.
Return the potatoes to the oven to bake until the cheese is melted and slightly golden, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Poking holes in the potatoes will help the potatoes cook a little more evenly and prevent them from any chance of breaking during cooking. While extremely rare, the potatoes could explode by avoiding this step.