Twice Baked Potatoes

4 russet potatoes (7 to 8 ounces each), scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil

1 cup (~4 oz.) white sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup sour cream

½ cup buttermilk

2 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature

3 medium scallions, white and green parts sliced thin (about ½ cup)

½ tsp salt

Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position. Bake potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet until skin is crisp and deep brown and a skewer easily pierces flesh, about 1 hour. Setting baking sheet aside, transfer potatoes to wire rack and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Using an oven mitt or folded kitchen towel to handle hot potatoes, cut each potato in half so that blunt sides will rest on work surface. Using a small dinner spoon, scoop flesh from each half into medium bowl, leaving 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Arrange shells on lined sheet and return to oven until dry and slightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, including ground black pepper to taste, until well combined.

Remove shells from oven and increase oven setting to broil. Holding shells steady on pan with oven mitt or towel, spoon mixture into crisped shells, mounding slightly at the center. At this point you can either refrigerate the potatoes until ready to eat or pop them in the oven if dinner is eminent. Broil until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

We like to top these with slight crushed potato chips for some nice crunch!

Notes: From Cooks Illustrated Magazine

Marcia