Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes…they are seriously some of the best things you can possibly eat. One of my all time faves. Well, this Mexican version is a different and equally delicious take on the classic twice baked potato. Instead of using bacon, it uses lean ground beef that is seasoned with taco spices. It uses Greek yogurt as a substitute for the cream you would usually use to mash the potatoes in the traditional version. It includes green onions, Mexican shredded cheese, salsa, and cilantro to give it that extra Mexican kick. Mix it all together and it forms a creamy, smooth, flavor packed filling. And it rocks.

So I totally realized last night that my last two posts have been Mexican food….There were the Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt Sauce, the 30 Minute One Pot White Chicken Chili, and now this…making three in a row. Seth always says I go through “food phases,” where I basically want the same thing over and over again until I get completely sick of it. For example…right after we got married and were living in Boone, North Carolina for a few months, I think we ate Jimmy John’s (the sandwich place…if you haven’t ever had it…get it…like, today) almost every day for about three weeks until Seth finally refused to eat it anymore.

My most recent food phase has been Chipotle…I am currently still in that one. Whenever Seth and I bet on something, the prize I choose is a trip to Chipotle. He is quite sick of it. So I am thinking that my trio of Mexican recipes has something to do with my current Chipotle phase. If I can’t have it every day like I want, the closest I can get is cooking Mexican dishes.

That’s just a theory though. I didn’t even notice I had made three Mexican things in a row until I had already created and photographed the third recipe…whoops. Well, I promise that I won’t do another Mexican recipe for at least a few weeks! If I actually end up sticking to that promise, then this recipe is a great one to end on. These twice baked potatoes are so delicious, and are such a fun variation of the traditional version.

My taste tester also highly approved of these. In fact, I came home from work one day and he had gotten home early and eaten all the left overs…My recipe was flattered, but I was slightly sad. Even though I brought one with me for lunch that day…Two meals worth of these babies is good enough…I guess.

SO–in conclusion….you should definitely make these delicious potatoes….and I promise to refrain from posting any Mexican recipes for at least a few weeks. I do not promise, however, to stop attempting to get Seth and I to eat at Chipotle when I win bets. I will probably wager the Patriots winning the super bowl on a burrito.

Here is the recipe!

Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

1 hour 20 mins

Total time

1 hour 40 mins

 

Author: Annie Chesson

Serves: 6 potato halves

Ingredients

• 3 russet potatoes (room temperature, not refrigerated)
• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• ½ tbs salt
• ¼ tbs pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pack of Taco Seasoning (I used Old El Paso's 1 oz packet)
• ⅓ cup shredded Mexican cheese plus extra for sprinkling over the potatoes at the end
• ⅓ cup finely chopped green onions plus extra for garnish
• ⅓ cup Greek yogurt plus extra for the top
• ¼ cup salsa
• 2 tbs chopped cilantro plus extra for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, add your potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper
3. Make sure your potatoes are room temperature and haven't been refrigerated, or your cook time will be longer
4. Rub the oil and seasonings over the potatoes until they are all evenly coated
5. Place them directly onto the grates of your oven and bake for one hour
6. Meanwhile, brown your lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat
7. When the beef is browned, add ⅔ cup water to the pan along with the taco seasoning
8. Stir together and let simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and no longer watery
9. Chop your green onions and cilantro
10. When your potatoes come out of the oven, carefully slice them evenly in half (I used a oven mitt to hold the potatoes so they didn't burn me)
11. Hold each potato half and gently scoop out the potato inside and transfer the filing to a medium bowl
12. I used a grapefruit spoon for this step since the edges are serrated. It allowed me to remove the potato more easily, but a regular spoon will definitely work too
13. Leave a little bit of potato in the skin so it still has some structure--about ¼ inch
14. Set the empty potato skins aside
15. Mash your potatoes with a potato masher and add in your beef, Greek yogurt, cheese, cilantro, salsa, and green onions
16. Stir everything together until it is all evenly combined
17. Try the mixture and season to taste (I ended up adding ½-1 teaspoon of salt)
18. Place the empty potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and spoon filling into each potato skin, pressing it down so it fills all the space
19. I filled all the potatoes to the rim first, and then went back and mounded more filling on top until all of it was gone. This ensures an even amount of filling goes into each potato
20. Top each potato with a light layer of cheese and bake in the oven for another 20 minutes
21. Remove the potatoes from the oven and you are ready to serve
22. **Optional** Top with Greek yogurt, green onions, and cilantro

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