Sunday, January 18, 2009

Emeril's Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Eight out of nine entrees that I've posted here feature cheese as an ingredient. It's Wisconsin; we like our cheese, and today's post is no exception. If you've ever had a twice-baked potato, you will love these. I made them for a dinner party we were invited to.

Ingredients:
10 large russet baking potatoes (about 7 lbs total)
8 tbls (1 stick), plus 1 tbls unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsps salt
1 1/2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
3/4 lb bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
1/2 lb sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed
3/4 lb mild cheddar, grated (3 cups)
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. We were in a hurry, so even though the directions said to scrub the potatoes clean first, we figured, "Why bother? We're not eating the skins!" (Wash and pat them dry if you must.) Poke them a few times with a fork and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack until cool enough to handle (more on that later!) Meanwhile, put the bacon on to cook, and prep your other ingredients. [In retrospect, I would add a little more cream. Maybe 3/4 cup total. What will you do with the rest, anyway?!]
Sharp white cheddar isn't the easiest cheese to find, and I have no idea what would be the equivalent, so keep your eyes out for that one. I had a pound, so I had to first cut it in half.
Then cut that for easy cubing...
Keep an eye on the bacon...
I had a pound of cheddar, too, so I had to use math again for that.
See, you do need math later in life!
Here's where you should stop to call your hostess and tell her you're running late!
Prepare three eggs, slightly beaten.
In case you don't already know, slightly beaten means you just run a fork through to pop the yolks.
Here's my first chance to use Mr.4444's brand new knife (a Christmas present from his loving wife.) Isn't it beautiful?
Here's the best way to chop green onions; first, line them up nice...Get set...
Separate!
Then chop. Isn't this pretty? I thought it looked kind of artistic, so I took this shot!By the way, you have just witnessed an historic event; I will never again use that knife. Can you guess why? It's because if anything ever happens to that knife, guess who's going to get blamed for it? I've decided to let Mr.4444 clean it and put it back in it's velvet lined box (just kidding about the box!)

Okay, back to it. Use the extra tablespoon of butter to grease your pan.
Then, cut up the stick of butter and set it aside.
Get your weapons ready for the big event!
Hurry up now; it's getting late! As soon as the potatoes are done, get scooping (Screw that "allow to cool on a rack" business!) Of course, this is easy for me to say, because I have this cool Pampered Chef mitt that keeps me from 3rd degree burns.
Smash up the potatoes, butter, sour cream, heavy cream, salt, and pepper, and mash until chunky-smooth. Add the bacon, cubed white cheddar, half of the grated cheddar, the green onions, and eggs, and mix thoroughly.
Pour into prepared pan...
And top with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Then, run it to your friend's house and cook it there at 375 degrees (for some odd reason, Emeril recommends preheating the oven at a higher temp than you need it.)
Cook 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. Makes 12 servings.
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