Double-Baked Potato with Crispy Bacon

Name: Double-Baked Potato with Crispy Bacon
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 95 min
Total time: 115 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 russet potatoes; 8 slices thick-cut bacon; 4 tbsp unsalted butter; ½ cup sour cream; ¼ cup whole milk; 1 ½ cups sharp white cheddar, grated; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 ½ tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp smoked paprika

Twice-baked russets with deeply bronzed, crackly skins hold a fluffy, tangy filling of sour cream, sharp cheddar and scallion, crowned with shatter-crisp bacon. The interior is rich and cheesy but still light from the whipped butter and sour cream, while the bacon stays crunchy because it never goes back in the oven. It's the steakhouse side that eats like a meal, and it's worth making because each element — skin, filling, topping — gets its own moment of heat.

20 minPrep

1h 35mCook

Serves 8Makes 8 potatoes

Ingredients

8 servings

Makes 8 potatoes · 1 per serving

4 russet potatoes 1200g
8 slices thick-cut bacon 240g
4 tbsp unsalted butter 56g
½ cup sour cream 120g
¼ cup whole milk 60g

1 ½ cups sharp white cheddar, grated 170g
3 scallions, thinly sliced 45g
1 ½ tsp kosher salt 6g
½ tsp black pepper 1g
¼ tsp smoked paprika 1g

Steps

Step 1

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Scrub the potatoes and prick each several times with a fork. Rub them all over with the kosher salt and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until the skins are dry and crackly and a skewer slides in with no resistance, 55–65 minutes. Do not wrap in foil — you want the skin to dehydrate and crisp.
- 1 tspkosher salt
Step 2

While the potatoes bake, lay the bacon in a cold large skillet in a single layer. Set over medium-low heat and cook, turning occasionally, until the fat renders and the strips are deep reddish-brown and rigid, 12–15 minutes. The slow start is what makes them shatter-crisp instead of curling and burning. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; reserve 1 Tbsp. of the bacon fat in the pan. Crumble or chop the bacon once cool.
- 8 slicesthick-cut bacon
Step 3

When the potatoes are done, let them rest just until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes — too hot and the filling turns gluey, too cold and it won't mash smoothly. Halve each lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a ¼-inch shell. Return the empty shells to the oven for 5 minutes to dry out and firm up.
Step 4

Mash the hot potato flesh with the butter until smooth, then fold in the sour cream, milk, 1 cup of the cheddar, the reserved bacon fat, smoked paprika, remaining ½ tsp. salt and the pepper. Stir until just combined — overmixing makes it pasty. Taste and adjust: it should be tangy, cheesy and well seasoned; add salt if flat, a spoonful more sour cream if tight.
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
- ½ cupsour cream
- 8 slicesthick-cut bacon
- ¼ tspsmoked paprika
Step 5

Reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spoon the filling back into the shells, mounding it generously and roughing the top with a fork so it catches color. Scatter the remaining ½ cup cheddar over the tops. Bake on a sheet pan until the filling is puffed at the edges and the cheese is melted and bubbling, 20–25 minutes.
Step 6

Switch on the broiler for 2–3 minutes to bronzing the tops, watching closely — they go from golden to burnt fast. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes so the filling sets. Pile the crispy bacon and scallions over the tops right before serving so the bacon stays crunchy. Serve hot; leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated and reheat best in a 375°F oven, not the microwave.
- 8 slicesthick-cut bacon
- 3scallions, thinly sliced