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Submitted by BeachGirl
"These twice baked potatoes are great to keep in the freezer for busy days or unexpected company! When baking potatoes are on special, I buy a 10-15 pound bag and make about 30-35 of these creamy, delicious potatoes for the freezer. A wonderful side dish with steaks, roasts, seafood, pork and meatloaf. For variety, sprinkle top of potatoes with real bacon pieces just before serving. To have a meatless lunch, I often heat one of these potatoes in the microwave or toaster oven."
photo by Izy Hossack 
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
12
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ingredients
- 5 lbs large baking potatoes
- 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
- 1 1 cup milk or 1 cup half-and-half
- 3 ounces fat free cream cheese or 3 ounces cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons salt or 2 teaspoons salt substitute
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup) or 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese
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directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Wash potatoes and pat dry.
- Place potatoes, not touching, on a large baking sheet.
- You may need two baking sheets.
- Spray potatoes generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle outside of potatoes with a little salt.
- Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes "give" when gently squeezed, indicating they are done.
- In large mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.
- With a serrated knife, cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise, being careful to leave skins unbroken.
- With large spoon, scoop out the inside of potatoes, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the inside of the skin.
- Place potato skin shells, skin side down, on the baking sheet used to bake the potatoes.
- Put scooped out potato in mixing bowl as you remove it and mix to combine with butter mixture, adding skim milk as needed to make potatoes the consistency of slightly stiff mashed potatoes.
- You may need a little more or less milk to get the final desired consistency.
- Using the palm of your hand to support the potato shell while filling, spoon and press potato mixture into each half potato shell.
- Return filled shell to baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese and pat cheese to make it adhere to the potatoes.
- TO SERVE IMMEDIATELY: Return baking pan of potatoes to oven and bake about 15-25 minutes until potatoes are hot and cheese is melted.
- TO FREEZE FOR LATER USE: Cover potatoes with plastic wrap and place baking sheet in freezer, leaving several hours until potatoes are completely frozen.
- Remove potatoes from freezer and wrap each potato in a resealable plastic sandwich bag.
- Place wrapped potatoes into one or more gallon resealable freezer bags.
- Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
- TO COOK FROZEN POTATOES: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place potatoes on baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake about 45 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or more until potatoes are hot.
- Do not over bake.
- This method keeps the potato skins firm and crisp.
- If time is short, place potatoes in microwave and cook on high about 10 minutes.
- Remove and then place in 350°F oven to finish cooking.
- IN A BIG HURRY: These potatoes can be completely heated from frozen state in the microwave, heating them just until they are hot.
- Potato skins will be softer than if cooked in the oven.
- OR, they can be defrosted in the microwave and reheated, uncovered, in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot.
Questions & Replies
-
Freezing is not necessary, just a convenient way to have something prepared in your freezer. To cook them the next day instead of freezing them, just cover them well with plastic wrap. Remove plastic wrap after oven is preheated to desired temperature, about 350 degrees, and cook until potatoes are hot throughout. Cooking time should be about 20-25 minutes.preheated oven. If desired, they can remain wrapped in refrigerator for several days before baking as instructed above. Enjoy a make-ahead side!
BeachGirl
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How long do I reheat potatoes if made the day before?
Virginia C.
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Is it okay to cook the potatoes (1 1/2 hours) the day before then store it in the fridge and make the rest the next day?
Jennifer M.
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If you want to make ahead but not months, how long can baked potato be refrigerated? Or do you go ahead and freeze if it’s 3-4 days?
kwhadley30
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How would these do if I made up the day before and served them the following day without freezing them? Would they be soggy?
Pasta Patty
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Reviews
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I made these for dinner tonight and we ate them all up! These were yummy and I love the fact that I can freeze them! Thanks for a very lovely way to fix taters!!! I used Neufchatel cheese(1/3 the fat of cream cheese).
Sharon123
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Brilliant! I added some chopped up broccoli to the filling and they came out wonderfully both fresh and cooked from frozen
Herb-Cat
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Awesome! I used sour cream instead of cream cheese to keep the mixture from getting too stiff. I made these for my kids and husband this weekend and even picky, food snob, restauranteur dh LOVED them. Trust me, that is unusual for him. I had made some chili earlier in the day and tucked a heaping spoonful chili in a few shells before filling them with the potato mixture and my goodness they were out of this world. The chili filled taters didn't make it into the freezer, but I'll have to try to get some in there the next time I make them. I'm sure they will reheat just fine.
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Yumm!! These were excellent! I made a few changes though. I drizzled olive oil on the skins and lightly salted w/ kosher salt. I left out the cream cheese. I mixed in the cheese w/ the butter and milk. I also ommited salt and pepper because I'm cutting back on salt and not a fan of pepper. With the cheese and butter and salted skins you don't miss it.I sprinkled with a little cheese on tops last 5 min. of cooking. Love this!! I cannot buy twice bake frozen potatoes in my town and have been looking for a good freeze ahead recipe!!!
onceandagain
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Oh these are go good and look so gourmet!!! My family thought I was amazing when I set these on our table. I did add some chopped crisp bacon in with the potato mixture but otherwise followed the recipe. I did bake right away, but plan to take a day to make a bunch and freeze and we all loved them. Thank you for sharing this great potato recipe with us.
Stephanie S.
see 84 more reviews
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Tweaks
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a couple of tweaks that we did: buttered the "shells" then browned them which crisped them up a bit. we also used cream rather than skim milk and sour cream rather than cream cheese. throw in a clove or two of roasted garlic also (if you love roasted garlic as much as i do). additionally, rather than cooking spray, we rubbed ours in olive oil. not that these tweaks make this recipe any better, just slightly different. people always went home with part of their steaks (we served pretty big cuts), but nobody ever went home with their potato.
Bathazar X.
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I don't change the basic recipe just seasonings. Different cheeses, bacon bits, garlic etc.
tbankscma
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I have been making these for years now! I also use sour cream instead of milk and add cooked bacon bits and cut green onions. When I add the salt I use a small dash of season salt. What a differance!!
SnowyowlPB
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Awesome! I used sour cream instead of cream cheese to keep the mixture from getting too stiff. I made these for my kids and husband this weekend and even picky, food snob, restauranteur dh LOVED them. Trust me, that is unusual for him. I had made some chili earlier in the day and tucked a heaping spoonful chili in a few shells before filling them with the potato mixture and my goodness they were out of this world. The chili filled taters didn't make it into the freezer, but I'll have to try to get some in there the next time I make them. I'm sure they will reheat just fine.
UrbanYogaMommy
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I made these last night for the first time ever. While I omitted the cream cheese and cheddar cheese, I did add scallions and topped with paprika and they were awesome! Even the kids gobbled them up and DS and DH scrapped every bit of potato pulp from the skins.I probably used a bit more milk than the recipe says due to omitting the cream cheese. I also put them under the broiler for a minute to crisp them.I gave four stars simply because I did not follow the recipe exactly.I will definitely make these again. They are easy to make and even easier to pull out of the freezer and heat. Really finished off our meal.Edited to add:In my haste to review I neglected to mention that I used fat free sour cream in place of the cream cheese. They are delicious!!!
Little Lisa
see 2 more tweaks
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
BeachGirl
Edisto Island, South Carolina
- 99 Followers
- 147 Recipes
- 12 Tweaks
I am a retired computer programmer, teacher, and cookbook author. Hubby and I have a grown daughter & SIL, son & DIL and 2 grandgirls. My favorite hobbies: cooking, Silhouette crafting, sewing, embroidery and wearable art, quilting, genealogy research, reading,
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