Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
- 15 ml olive oil
- 5 g sea salt, coarse
Filling
- 60 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 120 g sour cream
- 60 ml whole milk, warmed
- 150 g sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 g salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Thoroughly scrub the potatoes and pat them completely dry with a towel to ensure crispy skins.
Pierce each potato 3-4 times with a fork. Rub the skins generously with olive oil and coat with coarse sea salt.
Place potatoes directly on the oven rack (with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch drips) or on a baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes or until the skins are crisp and the insides yield easily to pressure.
Remove potatoes from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 175°C (350°F).
Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. carefully scoop out the flesh into a large bowl using a spoon, leaving about 5mm (1/4 inch) of potato attached to the skin to maintain structural integrity.
To the bowl of potato flesh, add the butter, sour cream, warm milk, salt, and pepper. Mash until creamy but slightly textured.
Fold in the sliced green onions and 100g of the shredded cheddar cheese. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells, piling it slightly high. Sprinkle the remaining 50g of cheddar cheese over the tops.
Place the filled potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Chef's Notes
- Select potatoes that are uniform in size so they finish baking at the same time.
- Do not wrap the potatoes in foil for the first bake; foil traps steam and results in a soggy skin rather than a crisp one.
- Warming the milk before adding it to the mash helps the potatoes absorb the liquid better and keeps the mixture warm.
- For extra crispy skins, brush the empty shells with a little more olive oil and bake them alone for 5 minutes before stuffing.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze after stuffing but before the second bake. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through. Microwave not recommended as skins will lose crispness.
