Twice Baked Potatoes with Flax
It’s officially fall, so we are firing up the oven to welcome in the flavors of the season! We are looking forward to family gatherings, holidays, and warm dishes that bring us all together. A dish that we find is often a crowd pleaser for adults and kiddos alike is the humble potato.
Whether they are mashed, baked, boiled, or smashed, potatoes make a versatile side and substance to a variety of meals. Today we are taking a little extra care to layer flavor into our potatoes — quite literally. What if you could have the crispy, delicious flavor of a potato skin combined with the rich, creamy texture of mashed potatoes? Not to fear, twice baked potatoes are here — and they are packed with all the health benefits of flaxseed!
Making a Twice Baked Potato
- Bake your potatoes.
- Scoop out the center.
- Mash the centers into a delicious, creamy mixture — packed with flax!
- Refill the potato skins with the mashed mixture.
- Top with cheese and bacon, then bake until warm and melty!
Recipe Tips
Use whatever type of baking potatoes you would like — you can even make these in a mini version for appetizers. Oiling and salting the potatoes is absolutely not necessary, but adds an extra layer of flavor. With twice baked potatoes, it’s common for guests to enjoy eating the potato skins along with the rest of the filling — especially if they are well seasoned!
The amount of butter, sour cream, and milk are variable based on your desired texture. Add more if you’d like creamier, more buttery potatoes, and you can use less if you prefer more preserving the texture of the potato.
Make your potatoes vegan by omitting the sour cream and swapping in your favorite vegan versions of bacon, butter, and cheese. You can also add extra flavor with minced garlic, chopped peppers, and fresh herbs.
You can bake the potatoes the night before and prep the mash the next day. Or, you can bake the potatoes, refill with the mashed mixture, and refrigerate until it’s time for the second bake. Top with extra cheese and bacon before the second bake, if desired, and bake right before serving.
If you’d like a little bit more texture and flavor, you can add in a third bake to your twice baked potatoes. After the first bake, scoop out the center of the potatoes like the recipe states. Place the hollowed out potatoes back on the pan, skin side down. Drizzle the potato centers with oil and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, if desired. Bake the halves for an additional 5 minutes or so — just until the centers start to crisp and brown a bit. Once the centers are slightly crispy, remove from the oven and fill the halves with the mashed mixture. Proceed with the recipe and you’ll have an extra layer of texture and flavor underneath the mashed mixture!
How do you like your potatoes: baked, mashed, loaded skins? Drop us a line and let us know your favorite @manitobamilling!
Twice Baked Potatoes with Flax
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil of choice we used olive oil
- 4 russet potatoes large
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened ½ stick
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons Manitoba Milling Co. Whole-Milled Flaxseed
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to sprinkle on raw potatoes
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup cooked bacon chopped (plus more for garnish)
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese plus more for garnish
- 2 Tablespoons sliced green onion or chives (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Prepare a large baking pan with foil, if desired.
- Wash and dry potatoes then place on the baking pan. Drizzle or spray potatoes with oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle potatoes lightly with salt, if desired.
- Bake potatoes uncovered on baking pan for 1 hour, or until a fork can easily be inserted into the potatoes, or once the potatoes have reached an internal temperature of 200℉.
- Once potatoes have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can safely handle them. Lower the oven temperature to 350℉.
- Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Into a large bowl, gently scoop out the center of the potatoes leaving about ¼” rim of potato from the skin.
- Gently mash the potatoes until broken up. Add the butter, sour cream, flaxseed, milk, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir and mash to desired consistency.
- Fold in the chopped bacon, grated cheese, and sliced green onion until combined.
- Scoop the mixture back into the potato halves, dividing equally. Gently press the mixture into the halves and top with additional cheese and bacon, if desired.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 15 minutes to warm potatoes and melt cheese. Top with fresh green onion or chives and serve warm.