I tried Nancy Fuller's recipe for twice-baked potatoes, and it's my new go-to dinner (2024)

Advertisem*nt

I make baked potatoes all the time, but I decided to try a recipe from Nancy Fuller.

Baked potatoes are a go-to comfort meal for me when I don't really feel like cooking.

I've tried many different methods, and few have ever steered me wrong. But one variation I've enjoyed in the past is twice-baked potatoes.

I decided to try a twice-baked recipe from celebrity chef Fuller to see if it's any easier than the versions I've made in the past.

Advertisem*nt

The ingredients were simple, and I was intrigued by the addition of Parmesan instead of cheddar.

Fuller's recipe requires nine ingredients: potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, butter, milk, sour cream, Parmesan, and scallions.

Although the recipe requires more steps and ingredients than a basic potato, each step was simple to follow and the ingredients were either already in my kitchen or easy to pick up at the grocery store.

I thought it was interesting that the celebrity chef uses Parmesan when many baked-potato recipes use cheddar as a topping.

Advertisem*nt

I started by coating the potatoes with oil and salt before the first bake.

The first few steps were pretty similar to other baked-potato recipes I've tested.

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In the meantime, I washed and dried the potatoes thoroughly, poked holes with a fork, and coated them with olive oil and salt.

Once prepped, I placed them on a small baking sheet to go into the oven.

Advertisem*nt

They went into the oven for over an hour.

Because these potatoes are twice-baked, I knew they'd take much longer to cook than a basic baked potato.

For the first bake, they went in for an hour and 20 minutes. The recipe said 50 to 60 minutes, but the potatoes didn't feel quite soft enough after that amount of time.

They were pretty big russet potatoes, so I let them cook longer to ensure the interior was soft enough to make the filling.

Advertisem*nt

Scooping out the potatoes required some extra care.

Once the potatoes came out of the oven for the first time, I had to let them cool slightly before scooping out the interiors.

It was tricky with the potatoes being so hot, and I needed to be sure to leave enough along the skin to hold the potato shape. But I was able to complete the task without burning myself on the potatoes or the hot pan.

I accidentally ripped the skin on one of the halves, but the shape still held pretty well.

Advertisem*nt

Then I had to make the filling.

I put the soft bits of potato into a large mixing bowl and added in the sour cream, milk, melted butter, salt, and pepper along with half the grated Parmesan and half the chopped scallions.

Fuller smashes up the potatoes by hand before mixing up the ingredients, but I just used a spoon to mix everything together and save myself some mess.

Advertisem*nt

I filled the potato skins before the second bake.

Once everything for the filling was combined, I scooped it back into the potato skins.

Then I topped the filled potato halves with the remaining grated Parmesan.

Advertisem*nt

It was time for the spuds to go back into the oven.

With the oven still at 400 F, I put the potatoes back in for the second bake.

This time, I baked them for just 20 minutes. When my timer went off, the potatoes came out with super crispy-looking skins. Some of the filling also browned in the oven.

To serve, I put two halves in a large bowl and topped them with the rest of the scallions.

Advertisem*nt

The first thing I noticed was how crispy the potato skins were.

I love eating the skins on a baked potato, but only if it's nice and crisp. The exterior of these potatoes didn't disappoint.

The olive oil, salt, and second bake made for really crispy skins that I could eat like potato chips.

Advertisem*nt

The filling was good, but it needed more moisture after the second bake.

The flavor of the filling was great. It was salty and buttery, plus there was some tanginess from the Parmesan and sour cream. I also liked that the fresh scallions on top brought a bright, fresh flavor to balance the heaviness of the dish.

The potato interior was pretty soft and dense. But after the second bake, it was a little dry and could've used some more butter.

I didn't mind the scallions throughout the filling, but my partner didn't love the texture. Next time I make these, I'll leave the scallions out of the filling and just use them as a topping.

Advertisem*nt

I'd make these again, but I'll add more butter in the future.

I really liked these potatoes and definitely want to make them again soon.

I've tried twice-baked potatoes that involve putting the filling in a piping bag. That results in a fancier appearance, but I appreciated that these were less fussy and didn't require as much work.

The next time I make these, I plan to add more butter or sour cream on top to keep the potatoes from being too dry. I liked the Parmesan, but I also want to try these potatoes with other types of cheese.

This recipe will definitely go into my regular rotation of easy, comforting dinners, and I can't wait to experiment with different filling mix-ins and toppings.