Bacon & Gouda Twice Baked Potatoes

Place washed potatoes on microwave safe plate lined with paper towels. Pierce potatoes all over with a fork and put another piece of paper towel on top. Microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Rotate potatoes and microwave for another 4-6 minutes, until done (they will be tender and pierce easily with a fork). Let cool enough to handle, then cut carefully in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. (Alternatively, if you don’t want to keep them in their skins, boil the potatoes until fork tender and proceed with mashing them).

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Scoop out as much potato as possible into a medium bowl while leaving the skin intact. Spray the skins lightly with baking spray and sprinkle with salt if desired. (The spray will help them crisp up despite the indignity of microwaving.)

Mash the potato you scooped out with butter, milk, salt, and garlic salt, if using. I like to use my hand beaters for this step. When they’re completely smooth, stir in the chopped green onion (reserve a few pieces for garnish) and 1/4 cup of the gouda cheese.

Place shells on a lightly greased baking sheet and return mashed potatoes to shells (or transfer to oven safe baking dish if you boiled and mashed the potatoes). Top with bacon, remaining cheese, and reserved bits of green onion. Bake for 5 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted. If you want to crisp up the bacon a bit more, broil on high for an additional minute. Serve hot.

Note: These can be made ahead by boiling and mashing the potatoes and putting in the slow cooker on “keep warm” for 5-6 hours. Just add an extra splash of milk when mashing to keep them moist.