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These Cajun twice baked potatoes are loaded with the best cheesy and creamy filling that has crispy bacon, scallions, and a Cajun kick!
This post is sponsored by our long-term partner Tony Chachere’s – thank you for supporting the brands that keep Salt & Lavender cooking! I only work with brands whose products I love. All opinions are my own.
These loaded baked potatoes make the best side dish. They’re fabulous with a steak. Since they’re quite filling, so you could even serve them as the star of your meal with something lighter like a salad.
How to make twice baked potatoes (overview):
Coat the potatoes in olive oil and bake them at 400F for an hour. When they’re almost finished, fry the bacon. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving a rim that’s thick enough that it won’t easily tear (about 1/8″-1/4″). Add the potatoes to a bowl along with Tony’s seasoning, 3/4 of the bacon, 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet, the sour cream, milk, scallions, and 3/4 of the cheddar. Mash together, then spoon it back into the potato halves. Top with the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Tony Chachere’s is a family-owned company based in Louisiana. Today, Tony’s offerings have grown from their Original Creole Seasoning to a whole line of seasonings including no salt, bold versions, and more. They’re the authority on everything Creole from marinades, dinner mixes, and sandwich sauces to roux & gravy mixes! Their products are available in grocery stores across the U.S. as well as on their website.
Recipe notes & tips:
- If you prefer to make these without bacon, use melted butter in place of the bacon grease that’s used in the potato mixture.
- This recipe is easily halved (just halve every ingredient) so you will end up with 4 stuffed potatoes halves vs. 8.
- Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning is fairly salty, so I do not add extra salt to this recipe.
- Pre-grated cheddar cheese won’t melt as well (it’s coated with cellulose to prevent it from sticking together in the bag), so I recommend grating your own if possible, and use an old/sharp cheddar for best flavor.
- Make ahead tip: Prep them through step 7, freeze them (use zip-top bags, wrap in foil, or place in airtight containers), thaw them, and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until hot and the cheese is golden and bubbly. If baking from frozen, they may take up to an hour.
These are the best twice-baked potatoes – the Cajun zip from Tony’s seasoning really takes them to the next level. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did!
You may also like…
- Cajun Scalloped Potatoes
- Creole Ranch Potato Salad
- Creole Sausage Balls with Remoulade Dipping Sauce
- Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo
- Cajun Chicken and Gnocchi Bake
Questions about these delicious Cajun loaded baked potatoes? Let me know in the comments below!
Cajun Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 Russet (baking) potatoes
- Olive oil as needed
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup scallions chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
- Scrub the potatoes, dry them off, pierce them several times with a fork (so they won't explode in the oven), and coat them with olive oil. Place them on the baking sheet and bake for an hour.
- When the potatoes are close to being done, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry it in a skillet until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the fat in the skillet to use later.
- Take the potatoes out of the oven and allow them to cool enough to be handled (about 15-20 minutes). Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the fluffy insides of the potatoes and add to a medium bowl. Be sure to leave a thick enough rim that the potatoes won't tear/fall apart.
- To the bowl, add the Tony's seasoning, about 3/4 of the cooked bacon + 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet, the sour cream, milk, scallions, and about 3/4 of the cheddar. Mash together.
- Spoon the mixture into each potato half, then top with the rest of the cheddar and bacon.
- Bake for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are hot and bubbly. Optional: broil them for a few minutes to add a bit of browning.
Notes
- I recommend using fairly large Russet potatoes for this recipe.
- Recipe makes 8 stuffed potato halves. If you want to halve the recipe, simply use two potatoes and halve every recipe ingredient.
- I recommend grating your own cheese so it melts better than the pre-shredded kind.
- If you want to skip the bacon, use the same amount of melted butter in the potato mixture instead of the bacon grease.
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I made these to go with Natasha’s pan seared pork chops I made yesterday. So flavorful!! Better than TGIF’s potatoes.
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Lorena! 🙂