German Inspired Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
4 medium russet potatoes.
Oil and salt for baking potatoes
6 strips bacon
8 oz white cheddar
2 Tbsp butter
¼ cup malt vinegar
½ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp German mustard (substitute with Dijon if needed)
1 sweet onion
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F. Wash potatoes thoroughly and pierce the skin a few times with a fork. Rub with oil and salt if desired and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the potatoes and bake another 20-30 minutes until fork tender. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool to handle.
Dice your bacon into uniform bits. Putting the bacon in the freezer for 30 minutes before doing this will make the bacon easier to handle. Put the bacon in a cold pan and turn the heat on medium low. We use a lower heat here to allow the bacon to render the fat without browning, so be sure to keep stirring the bits. Once the bacon is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and leave the bacon fat in the pan.
Bring the pan to medium heat and dice the onion. Add that to the pan and cook until the onions are soft. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and salt, and allow this mixture to simmer. Right before finishing the sauce, add mustard and black pepper.
While making the bacon and sauce, prepare the already baked potatoes. Set the oven to 350 F. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, making sure the flat part of the potato can lay down. Use a fork to scrape the inside of the potato halves into a bowl. Don’t scrape out too much of the inside, as the potato skins must hold up their shape. Spray the insides with cooking spray, and bake about 3 minutes, skin side down, only enough to firm the outsides. Switch the oven to a low broil.
Add the bacon vinaigrette, half the reserved bacon bits, and half of the grated cheese to the potato insides. Gently toss; we don’t want these potatoes smooth, but more of a very chunky mashed potato.
Fill the insides of the potato skins with the filling. Top with cheese and bacon, and broil the potatoes about 5 minutes, until there is a nice crust on top.
