Stuffed Potatoes

Does anyone remember that place in the mall food court that had stuffed potatoes?  Fortunately I don't frequent the mall food court anymore so I have no idea if it still exists, but it was a childhood favorite of mine. Baked potato + Cheese + Broccoli + my mom buying me anything I wanted at the 'Nature of Things' Store = perfect day. 

I recreated that 'magic' here, minus the Nature shopping and a cheese sauce that consists of who knows what. Really, this is just a twice baked potato with the addition of broccoli and bacon. I made this recipe for 2, so you can adjust quantities appropriately.

Recipe

2 large potatoes
1 cup chopped broccoli, cooked (or more if you're a broccoli lover)
2 slices bacon
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes, then wrap in foil, make slits, and bake for one hour at 350. You can also bake them in the microwave if you want to speed things up - two large potatoes would take 10-15 minutes, I think.

Meanwhile, prepare the bacon. Place in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until done. Place the bacon on paper towel to soak up fat; leave remaining fat in the skillet. Turn off heat. 

When the potatoes are done, let them cool enough that you can touch them without your fingers falling off. Cut off the top fourth of each potato, to prepare the larger side for stuffing. Scoop all of the potato out into a bowl. Prepare the potato stuffing by combining them with the sour cream, butter, milk, s+p. Mash until creamy. Add in cooked broccoli and bacon. Mix thoroughly.

Preheat the broiler for the potato skins. Place the larger skins cut-side down onto the bacon skillet. Use a brush to coat the skin with a small amount of the bacon reserve, and make sure there is plenty along the edges.  Place the skillet in the oven to crisp the skin, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven and place on baking sheet.

Flip the potatoes over and stuff with potato mixture. Top with cheese, and place back in the broiler, about 5 minutes or until melted and slightly browned.