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1
Rub potatoes with oil and pierce with knife or fork.
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2
Bake at 400 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
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3
Allow to cool to the touch.
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4
Slice and remove top quarter of each potato, let cool for 5 minutes; carefully scoop out pulp leaving 1/4 inch layer of the potato on inside, making sure not to tear or rupture shell.
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5
Place pulp in a large bowl.
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6
Butter inside and out of each potato shell with melted butter.
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7
Sprinkle insides of shells with 1/4 t. salt.
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8
Increase oven temperature to 475.
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9
Place potato shells, scooped side up on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and bake until skins begin to crisp, about 15 minutes.
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10
Saute onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender.
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11
Add to potato pulp along with cream, sour cream, salt and pepper (*see Note below).
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12
Beat until smooth (some folks dont like their stuffed potatoes real smooth so just beat until you reach the consistency you desire).
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13
Fold in cheese.
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14
Stuff potato shells and place in a 13x9x2 baking dish.
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15
Drizzle remaining melted butter over tops of potatoes.
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16
Sprinkle with paprika and crumbled bacon pieces.
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17
Return to oven and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
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18
Potatoes may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen.
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19
Allow additional time for reheating.
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20
*Note: If you can't find large potatoes, bake extra potatoes.
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21
Otherwise the cream and sour cream will result in too much liquid for the potatoes.
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22
I do the 3 large potatoes and then bake an extra smaller potato (which I don't stuff but use the pulp).
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23
I also mash the potatoes before adding any of the other ingredients -- and I combine the cream, sour cream, salt and pepper in a bowl and add a little at a time to the potatoes as I continue to mix them.
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24
This way you can better judge the consistency of the pulp and not get the potatoes too runny.
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25
I then add the onions and cheese.
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26
The cooking time includes the time to do the initial baking of the potatoes.
