Twice-Baked Taco Potatoes

These came out so well, I'm so proud!



My mother sent me this recipe she found a couple weeks ago and we were having people over, so it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. Most people love mashed-potatoes and most people love tacos. Put them together to create a masterpiece!

I had a lot of commitments on Thursday night, so I prepared them on Wednesday and had my husband bake them in the oven for 30 minutes just in time for our dinner guests. I know you can freeze twice-baked potatoes so you can try doing that too. Enjoy!


Each potato can serve 2 people, or 1 if you are hungry. I was on a time crunch so I used the microwaveable potatoes (aren't all potatoes microwaveable?). They worked like a dream. I would highly recommend them. They would work better for small amounts though. If you are only making for 4 people then they are definitely the way to go. You have to bake them for 8 minutes or if doing several at a time you would bake them for 5 to 6 minutes per potato. If you are baking 10 potatoes that comes out to be an hour (I did it in shifts though), which means you might as well bake them in the oven. But if you are just using a few potatoes it will save you an hour. It also will save you from having to wash and scrub the potatoes because they come cleaned and packaged. You actual cook them while still in the packaging. It may be cheating, but I'm all about it. 


Ingredients:
10 potatoes
1.5 cups sour cream, reduced fat
2 cups skim milk
2 cups cheddar or mexican blend shredded cheese, reduced fat
2 cups mozzarella cheese, reduced fat
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup taco seasoning
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake potatoes for an hour to an hour and a half. 
Or follow microwave instructions if you use those type of potatoes.
Meanwhile, brown beef/turkey and season with taco seasoning. Set aside.
Let them cool and cut out the potatoes using a knife and fork (or whatever other strategy you use for mashed potatoes) away from the skin.
Do not get too close to the skin. You want them sturdy enough to hold further ingredients.
Mash the potatoes with the sour cream and milk using a mixer. Add more milk, butter, salt, etc. if desired.
Stir in cheddar cheese and taco meat. 
Season potatoes with salt & pepper.
Spoon filling into potato skins. 
Sprinkle with additional taco seasoning and mozzarella cheese
Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)