Bacon & Ranch Twice Baked Potatoes

Who needs a new side dish that the family will love?

These Bacon & Ranch Twice Baked Potatoes will be a big hit.

How's everyone doing?

We are offically into Fall...it's October! Anne of Green Gables had it right when she said, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

I agree girl.

This is my most favorite month of the year. And it was my favorite long before it became a fad. I love all the things - football, cozy comfort food, sweatshirts, all things apple and pumpkin, orchards, falling leaves and warm drinks.

Today's new recipe fits right in.

I mean, what screams comfort food in the Fall more than a mashed potato?  Not much in my opinion. And let's be frank here, if you don't like a good potato, we just might not be friends.

What is there not to LOVE?

That little golden beauty provides so much comfort to any dish.  This time instead of making my 3-step crockpot mashed potatoes {pinned 30K times on Pinterest I have you} or my roasted garlic mashed potatoes, I took it one step further and made these jazzed up twice baked potatoes.

Twice baked potatoes aren't hard to make, they just require a couple different steps. All doable! Instead of the typical cheddar cheese and bacon combo like you see in most twice baked potatoes I wanted to add my ranch sauce {that often sits in our fridge for various dishes} into these potatoes.

In the Midwest we love our ranch.

Now, you can use any favorite bottled ranch dressing if you'd like, but we just love the flavor that comes from that $2 packet of ranch seasoning you see on all grocery store shelves right above the bottled dressings. In my opinion it tastes like a great restaurant homemade ranch dressing.

It took the easy route on these potatoes and cooked them in the microwave {to speed up the process a bit}, but you can do them in the oven too, it's up to you. After they are cooked you simply need to carefully scoop out that tender potato middle leaving the skins in tact....like a little boat.

Then mix together all the goods - mashed potato, butter, sour cream, ranch, bacon and seasonings - and fill that potato skin back up!

Top with cheese and more bacon and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

That's it.

The edges get a bit crispy and the middle stays creamy and tender. We like to drizzle on a bit more of that ranch sauce before serving too. Kids love these, adults love these, everyone loves these! Serve them along side any grilled meat or fish for an easy weeknight dinner.

Let me know how you like these!

Tag me on social media {@sweetsavoryeats} and I'll be sure to share the love.

Ranch & Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

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Yield: 6

Author: Ally

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

These twice baked potatoes are full of flavor! A tasty ranch sauce is mixed with the creamy potatoes + butter, bacon, seasonings and more. A great side dish to any meal.

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized baking potatoes
• 3 strips bacon, cooked & diced
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 T butter
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• 1/2 t pepper

Ranch Sauce

• 1 oz Ranch seasoning packet
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup mayo

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To prep the potatoes, wash and towel dry. Taking a fork pierce the potatoes a few times. Cook on high in the microwave for 2 minutes, flip over and then cook another two minutes. To make sure the potatoes are cooked, press a knife or fork into the middle to see if tender. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and set aside to cool.
3. To make the ranch sauce mix together the ranch seasoning packet, buttermilk and mayo in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Once the potatoes have cooled a bit, carefully take a spoon and scoop out most of the cooked potato and place into a bowl. Be careful to not break the potato skin.
5. Using a potato masher, mash up the cooked potato. Add in the sour cream, butter, half of the shredded cheese, garlic salt, pepper, half of the cooked bacon and 1/2 cup of the ranch sauce. Mix together and spoon back into the potato skins.
6. Top the potatoes with additional bacon and the remaining shredded cheese.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until melted and bubbly. Serve with a side of the remaining ranch sauce.

Notes:

Anything can be added to these potatoes - chives, green onions, different types of cheeses, etc.

Calories

518.37

Fat (grams)

34.50

Sat. Fat (grams)

11.12

Carbs (grams)

39.64

Fiber (grams)

4.00

Net carbs

35.63

Sugar (grams)

3.97

Protein (grams)

12.74

Sodium (milligrams)

655.56

Cholesterol (grams)

51.08

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Tag @sweetsavoryeats on instagram and hashtag it #twicebakedpotatoes

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