Double-baked potatoes
This delicious twice-baked potato recipe is stuffed with bacon, peas and creamy soft cheese and finished with a little grated cheddar to get a lovely crisp and golden top. It uses batch-cooked baked potatoes to save time.
This recipe is part of a budget family batch cook meal plan. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Each serving provides 622 kcal, 25.7g protein, 56.5g carbohydrate (of which 10.3g sugars), 30.2g fat (of which 15.6g saturates), 10g fibre and 2.01g salt.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 rashers bacon (about 150g/5½oz), cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz frozen peas
- 4 baked potatoes, cooled (see the recipe tip)
- 200g/7oz garlic and herb soft cheese
- 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú cheddar, grated
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium–high heat. Fry the bacon pieces for about 5 minutes until starting to crisp. Add the onion and cook for a further 5 minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, put the peas in a microwave-proof bowl, cover and microwave for 3 minutes or until defrosted (alternatively cook in a small saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes). Drain thoroughly.
Cut the cold potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a large bowl to leave empty skins.
Mash the scooped-out potato. Add the crispy bacon mixture, peas and soft cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Put the potato skins on a baking tray and spoon in the mashed potato mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 20–25 minutes or until they are hot through and the cheese is golden-brown.
Recipe Tips
If you are want to make this recipe independent of the meal plan, you will need to prebake 4 large potatoes. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Wash and dry the potatoes thoroughly. Prick them with a fork and then rub a little vegetable oil into the skins. Put the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour–1¼ hours or until cooked through.
If you want to avoid cutting or frying onions, leave them out or use spring onions instead which don’t need cooking before adding to the potato.
We have included peas and onions in this recipe so that it is a complete meal, but you could use cherry tomatoes if you prefer or leave the vegetables out and serve with a salad instead.