Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes

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Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes (2 of 4)Potatoes are kind of a big deal in my family.

And when I say potatoes are a big deal, I mean that potatoes=LYFE. And don’t ask me why I spelled life like that, it just felt right.

You see, before ending up living in the suburbs on the coast of Southern California, my dad grew up on a rural family farm in Norway. And guess what they grew.

POTATOES.

Yup yup, oodles of potatoes. Enough potatoes to make the ordinary person sick of them forever. But not my dad. Nope. That man is an absolute fiend and his potato capacity blows my mind. He could eat them everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then fill the space in-between with a side of… potatoes. What can I say, that man has a diverse and eclectic palette.

Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes (3 of 4)

So for a guy who is a proud potato enthusiast, you really can’t go wrong with ANYTHING made from those lumps of ugly gold, this recipe for secretly Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes is pure H-E-A-V-E-N.  Like, angels singing, harps playing, and golden gates opening up to an endless field of potatoes.

These potatoes are an emotional experience for him 😉 .

Oh! And how perfect are these for summer? We have a lot of BBQs at my house and these would make the perfect side to some juicy steaks and ribs. Just think about it: perfect weather with nothinggg but sunshine, a cool pool, an even cooler drink, and a big plate filled with your favorite grilled food, a refreshing salad, and THESE overflowing potato pockets of joy.

While these seem pretty indulgent, they’re actually lightened-up by using olive oil instead of butter and using light sour cream to give the creamy mashed potato portion inside a great tang! If you’re looking to add in some extra protein, you can also sub in plain nonfat greek yogurt in the place of the sour cream! I chose to use sour cream since that’s what we had on hand and I wasn’t in the mood for a grocery store run to just get some ‘gurt, but it’s a great swap!

Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes (4 of 4)

So back to potatoes! We don’t joke around when it comes to them around my house.

Seriously, it’s to the point where my mom will just throw a few potatoes in the microwave and leave them out for him to eat plain. You have to come up with shortcuts when you’ve been married for close to 25 years and need to give the potato fanatic his fix multiple times a week. He’s perfectly content to eat day-old potatoes cold with his potatoes and without any toppings.

Sometimes, though, you go out of your way to make a potato dish that he will absolutely love. It involves mashed potatoes made with sour cream, baking them again in their own little portable potato boat, and topping them with tons of glorious, melty cheese, perfectly crispy bacon bits (bacon! salty goodness!), and green onion for a pop of color. I was back at my parent’s home for a big family BBQ and these were gone in a hot second!

Lightened-Up Twice-Baked Potatoes (1 of 4)

 

 

Comments

  2. says

    This is kind of irrelevant to the bomb recipe you posted, but I had to comment on your father.. from Norway?! You have such a rich familial culture on both sides. I would love to learn more about it!

    Also, I love the colors of this dish, and it sounds incredible!

  4. says

    We usually only make twice baked potatoes at Thanksgiving (the other times, we just make mashed or baked potatoes since they’re a little quicker) and go ALL OUT loading them up with cream, butter, and sour cream. They’re amazing…but I love that these are lightened up to be able to make on a more regular basis!

  10. says

    Can you believe that I’ve never had a twice baked potato? Or even a stuffed potato? I’ve stuffed sweet potatoes before, but never the regular white one. And it’s weird because white potatoes are actually my favourite. I’ve tried showing more love to their orange bros, but nope… these will always have my heart. And omg… these look amazing, lady <3