Fully Loaded Twice Baked Potato Casserole

By Foodiewife

Who wouldn't love baked potatoes, loaded with green onion, bacon and plenty of sharp cheddar cheese? (Raises hand.) It's a bit of work to cut baked potatoes in half, scrape out the potato, season and load it up, stuff it and bake again. Why not just cut up the baked potatoes, add the ingredients and bake them? Well, that's what I did! I loved that this casserole was less intensive work, and my guests just love it. (Recipe source: Slightly adapted from Mom On Time Out) Please click on the recipe source to see how I made this on my food blog, "A Feast for the Eyes.

Ingredients

• 8 medium potatoes, scrubbed and dried (russet potatoes recommended)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning* (or coarse salt and pepper)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I used 3 cups, total, reserving 1 cup)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 to 6 green onions, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Bake the potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scrub the potatoes and pat dry. Drizzle olive oil over each potato and then season with Montreal Steak Seasoning (or salt & pepper).
*Montreal Steak Seasoning is very easy to find at most any grocery store. We use it for just about everything and anything and it's ideal to season potato skins.

Place the potatoes on either a cast-iron skillet (my preference) or on a baking sheet. Do NOT wrap the potatoes in foil, or you won't get the crispy potatoes skins that we love so much.

Poke each potato, a few times, with the tines of a fork. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour (until knife slides easily in and out).

Set the baked potatoes aside to cool enough to handle.

Make the casserole:

Cut each potato in half, then quarters, then into bite-sized chunks. Don't worry about perfectionism. (Leave the skins on, as they are delicious!)

Whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl, then add to the cut-up potatoes. Be sure to reserve some of the cheese, and 1/4 cup of the green onion and about 1/2 cup of the bacon. Add the remaining ingredients and gently fold to combine.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and evenly distribute the baked potato mixture. Sprinkle the reserved bacon and cheddar cheese and cover with foil.

Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake for 10 additional minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the casserole is nice and bubbly.

Watch your guests go back for seconds!