TWICE BAKED POTATOES

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the two potatoes whole and uncovered directly on the rack for one hour or until done. Do not coat with oil or butter. When done, let cool. Then slice in half lengthwise. Spoon out the contents into a bowl, leaving the potato skins intact. Mash the potato well. (Leave just enough of the potato in the skin to keep the skin from falling apart.) Set aside.

2Dice the bacon and onion and fry together in a skillet until done and onions are a little browned. Add to potato, along with other ingredients. Mix well. May add a little of the bacon grease for the flavor, but not too much. No more than 1 Tbsp per potato half. But remember, this is optional.

3Stuff the potato skins with the mixture. Since extra ingredients are added, these will look overstuffed. That is the way they should look. Pack in the skins well, but be careful not to break the skins.

4Place on a cookie sheet with the stuffing side up. May add a little additional cheddar cheese or bacon bits to the top if desired. Bake another half an hour at 350 degrees or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Note: This is a versatile recipe in that you can add other things, like whatever you like to have on a baked potato. In lieu of frying strips of bacon, you can use real pre-made bacon bits. Real bacon bits taste better. I also like to add cooked and chopped broccoli to my twice-baked potatoes before baking. Add up to 1/3 Cup (per potato half) of diced chicken, beef, ham or sausage to make more of a main dish. These ingredients will make it stack up high, but in the end, it will make an appetizing presentation and will taste delicious!