BAKED POTATOES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHEESE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub and pierce potatoes. Rub with oil if desired. Bake until tender, 50-75 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell; set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375°., In a small skillet, saute onions in 1/4 cup butter until tender. In a large bowl, mash potato pulp. Stir in sauteed onions, cream, sour cream, salt and pepper. Fold in cheese. Stuff into potato shells., Place on a baking sheet. Melt remaining butter; drizzle over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Position racks in the top and middle of the oven, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Poke holes all over them with a fork. In a large bowl, toss them with the oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the potatoes directly on the top rack, and place a baking sheet or a piece of foil on the middle rack to catch drips. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin is crisp and potatoes offer no resistance when a knife is inserted in their centers. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Slice the top third lengthwise off the potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4-inch border of potato on the skin, and transfer the flesh to a medium bowl. Scrape the potato tops of all flesh, and add the flesh to the bowl. Place the bottoms on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Snack on the tops — chef's treat — or discard.)
• Mash the potato flesh with a fork or potato masher. Add the butter, and stir until smooth (try not to overwork). Add the milk, sour cream and cheese and stir to combine. (If you want the filling softer, add more milk.) Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, if using.
• Mound each potato skin with a quarter of the filling. Bake the potatoes until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.