Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Sometimes a person is just in the mood for some good old comfort food.  No counting calories or carbs.  Just something that makes you feel good.  I was at a loss yesterday with what to make for dinner.  Ken and A2 were going hunting and would want something rib sticking when they got home at night.

So what's a girl to do?  Hit Pinterest, of course.  I pinned this yesterday morning.  It's a recipe from Paula Dean, y'all.  Yeah, yeah.  I know, her recipes are loaded with fat and carbohydrates and super unhealthy.  But like I said, sometimes you just need comfort food and that is exactly what she does best.  This recipe comes courtesy of the Dallas Morning News.  Click on over if you want to see what their version looks like.

This was pretty easy to throw together.  I did make some changes to my recipe, which made it even more calorie laden than before.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients

8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pint sour cream
2 cups ( ½ pound) shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided use)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, for garnish
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp, drained and crumbled, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pierce potatoes and place on baking pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft.

Peel and mash potatoes in large bowl with potato masher or back of fork. Add cream cheese, butter, sour cream and 1 cup of cheddar. Stir well. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and stir again.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place potato mixture in dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate casserole until ready to bake.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F, remove plastic wrap and bake casserole 30 to 35 minutes until hot. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheddar over casserole and return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Garnish with chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings. 

 

What I Made

 

I didn't sprinkle the top with chives because I'm lazy like that.  I did add some minced onions for a bit of oniony flavor.  I used an entire pound of bacon (Oh, the humanity!) and mixed 3/4 of it in with the potatoes and sprinkled the rest on top.  We love our bacon.  Plus, I had a pound in the fridge that needed to be used in the next few days.

 

 Final Verdict

I liked it.  It is nothing special but it just tasted good.  Ken said he's not into this kind of food but it was okay.  A2 said it was "pretty good" and had two helpings.  I guess I'll keep this in the rotation but just as an occasional meal or side because it's so unhealthy.  It would be excellent for potlucks  though.