I really like hosting people. Like really like it. Feeding people meals that I’ve carefully planned and invested time and effort into feeds my soul. I could spend hours with my notebook and fine tipped colored pens drawing tablescapes and planning recipes, incorporating people’s favorite foods and flavors. Granted, most of my tablescape drawings don’t turn into a reality, because as much as I love cooking, I’m not a crafter or designer, but at least the food gets made!
That’s the frame of mind I was in when I thought about these. I wanted something that would feed a crowd with a special twist.
The special twist I chose this time was roasted garlic. Because…it’s delicious. Simple as that.
Roast the garlic and potatoes, then remove the roasted cloves from the skin and mix them with the butter, green onions, sour cream, cheese, salt & pepper.
When the potatoes are done, let them cool a bit, then slice them in half and remove the middles. Make sure to leave some flesh on the skin to keep them sturdy!
Add the middle of the potatoes to the garlic mixture and mix it all together.
Now stuff the potatoes!
And sprinkle them with cheese. This is the point in the recipe that you could stop, wrap them up, and freeze them for later if you so desire.
If not, bake ’em up until the cheese is nice and melty and top them with bacon, sour cream, and a few more green onions! Because the garlic is roasted and not raw, it isn’t at all overpowering. It adds a subtle mellow sweetness that is the perfect addition to the already delicious traditional twice baked potato.
Roasted Garlic Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 8 lbs russet potatoes, washed and dried
- 1 head garlic
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 5 Tbs butter
- 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 c. sour cream
- 3 stalks green onion, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut off top of garlic. Place in an oven safe dish and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil.
- Pierce each potato 6-8 times with a fork, place them onto a baking pan, and put both the potatoes and garlic in the oven.
- Remove the garlic after 30 minutes, but continue to bake the potatoes for an additional 15-30 minutes.
- Let potatoes cool slightly before cutting each one in half lengthwise and scooping out the middle into a mixing bowl, leaving about 1/4" of flesh on the potato skin.
- Carefully remove the roasted garlic cloves from the skin and add them to the mixing bowl.
- Add the butter, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, sour cream, green onions, and salt & pepper. Mix to combine.
- Place potato skins on a baking sheet, fill them with the mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.