Twice Baked Potatoes With Goats Cheese Food

CHEESY TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Stab the potatoes with a fork or paring knife a few times on all sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake until fork-tender, 60 to 80 minutes. Let cool slightly (but keep the oven on).
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook until softened but not browned. Set aside.
• Once the fully cooked potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise. Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the flesh of the potatoes, leaving a 1/4-inch rim to preserve the shape of the shells.
• In a large bowl, mash the potato insides until mostly smooth. Add the butter mixture, sour cream, chives and 1 cup of Cheddar and mix together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon the mixture evenly into the 8 shells. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet; fold foil around sweet potatoes to form a packet. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
• When cool enough to handle, halve sweet potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out all but 1/4-inch flesh from inside skins. Arrange 8 skins in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (discard remaining 2 skins). Place flesh in a food processor, along with 2 tablespoons butter and goat cheese; season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth, 2 minutes. Add chives and pulse to combine; spoon into skins.
• In a small bowl, stir together pecans, panko, and 2 tablespoons butter until combined; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle panko mixture over sweet potatoes. Bake until topping is golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH GOAT CHEESE AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the potatoes on the oven rack and bake until very tender, about 1 hour. Protecting your hand with an oven mitt, slice the top third off of each potato and discard or save for another use. Being careful to leave the skins intact, use a spoon to gently scoop out the flesh from the potatoes and place it in a mixing bowl. Transfer the potato skins to a baking sheet.
• While the potato flesh is still hot, add the goat cheese and butter and use a potato masher or fork to mash them in. Continue to mash until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the milk and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Pile the mashed potatoes back into the skins. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the potatoes and bake until the tops are golden, 20 to 30 minutes.

BACON-WRAPPED DATES WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the dates lengthwise on one side to create an opening. Remove the pit.
• Using a spoon, stuff a small amount of goat cheese into the cavity of each date and press the sides together to close.
• Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
• Arrange evenly on a baking sheet with raised edges (otherwise grease will get everywhere) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the dates and use the toothpick to turn each one so it's laying on its side. Bake for another 5-8 minutes, until browned to your liking, and turn the dates to the other side and repeat. Remove from the oven, place on a paper towel lined plate, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

TWICE-BAKED POTATO WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F
• Rub oil over potatoes. Place directly on oven rack; bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.
• Using oven mitts, grasp 1 potato in hand; cut potatoes in half. Using spoon, scoop out potato, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
• Transfer potato flesh to large bowl.
• Place potato shells back on baking sheet and return hot oven while preparing filling so they will give a nice crispy shell.
• Mash potatoes until smooth. Mix in cheese, then Buttermilk, butter, and chives, Fresh rosemary and Beacon Bits if desired, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon about 3/4 of potato mixture into shells, dividing evenly. Transfer remaining potato filling to pastry bag fitted with large decorative tip. Pipe filling atop potatoes; place potatoes on baking sheet.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Bake potatoes until filling is heated through and tops brown, about 20 minutes.