Twice baked potatoes, or potato skins, have become somewhat of a classic when it comes to bar food but I actually love them as a side dish...think of them as a dressed-up version of a baked potato. They are perfect for a small scale side dish since you only need to bake as many potatoes as you want to serve! The addition of kale pesto takes these twice baked potatoes from ordinary to extraordinary!

These potatoes work with just about any meal. I'd recommend serving them with this Baked Chicken Milanese or this Grilled Apricot Pork Tenderloin.

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Contents:

Notes from the Kitchen
Ingredient Notes
Recommended Tools
How to make this recipe
Make Ahead Tips
Twice Baked Potatoes with Kale Pesto

Notes from the Kitchen

Twice baked potatoes are such a great comfort food - nothing like toasty warm, cheesy potatoes on a cold winter day! They make a wonderful side dish, and with a salad or some soup, they can make a nice light dinner too!

While this recipe is designed for two, you can scale it to your needs ... bake one potato per person your are serving and then add extra mix-ins accordingly.

I recommend making homemade kale pesto for this recipe. It's easy to make and pretty versatile. You can use the extra to make these Mini Skillet Pizzas which are great for busy weekdays.

Close up of twice baked potato with kale pesto

Ingredient Notes

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

Large russet potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best when making twice baked potatoes as they have thicker skins that hold up better.
Greek yogurt: Any type of plain greek yogurt is fine for this recipe.
Kale pesto: Ideally you'll want to make this from scratch. See the link above for my recipe.
Cheeses: The recipe calls for cheddar and asiago cheese. You could substitute other varieties if you have a personal favorite. Stick with something that melts well and won't overpower the pesto.
Spices: kosher salt + ground pepper
Pantry staples: Olive oil, unsalted butter, milk

Recommended Tools

Potato Masher – This is my favorite style of potato masher. It breaks the potatoes down well but still leaves a good texture.

How to make this recipe

Read on to learn more about how to make these creamy twice baked potatoes, or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!

Step 1 | Bake the potatoes. As the name implies, you bake these potatoes twice, starting the traditional way by baking the entire potato.

Step 2 | Hollow out the potato skins. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly and slice them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the center of the potatoes, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges.

Hollowed out potato skins on a baking sheet

Mixing bowl with filling for twice baked potatoes

Step 3 | Make the filling. Start by mashing the baked potato you've scooped out of the shells. I like to leave it a little chunky so the potatoes have a good texture. Then combine the baked potato with the other mix-in ingredients. Mix everything up before you scoop it back into the potato skins.

Step 4 | Stuff the potatoes. Scoop the filling mixture back into the potato skins and then bake again for about 20 minutes.

Make Ahead Tips

You can assemble these ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator on a baking sheet. Keep them tightly covered until you are ready to bake them.

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