Cheesy Twice Baked Potato Casserole

from kristineskitchenblog.com

Twice Baked Potato Casserole is the best comfort food side dish recipe! It's creamy, buttery, and loaded with flavorful bacon and cheese.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 304kcal

Preheat oven to 425° F. Scrub the potatoes and pat them dry. Place them on a parchment-paper lined rimmed baking sheet. Prick each potato a few times with a fork.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-70 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Slice in half and let cool just until cool enough to handle.

Reduce oven temperature to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and fold the edges of the foil up a bit to contain the bacon grease.
Lay the bacon slices in a single layer on the foil. Bake for 12-20 minutes, until cooked through.
Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess grease. Then chop the bacon.

Reduce oven temperature to 375° F.
Place the butter pieces in a large bowl. Scoop the potato flesh out of the skins and into the bowl. Discard the skins or save for another use.
Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. The butter should melt into the potatoes.
Stir in the sour cream, salt, pepper and milk. Add an extra ¼ cup milk if the potatoes still seem very dry, or as much as is needed to make them creamy.
Stir in half of the cheese, half of the bacon and half of the green onions. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer the potato mixture to a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese, bacon and green onions.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is hot. Serve.

Half and half or heavy cream may be substituted for the milk for a richer casserole.
Do not use store bought pre-shredded cheese, since it is often coated in an anti-caking agent that prevents it from melting smoothly.
To Make Ahead and Bake Later: The casserole can be assembled up to one day ahead, covered, and refrigerated before baking. When you are ready to bake it, first let the casserole sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to take the chill off. You’ll need to add about 10 minutes to the covered portion of the bake time when baking a cold casserole.

Nutrition information is only an estimate.