Cheddar And Garlic-stuffed Potatoes

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 head garlic (medium or large, depending on how much garlic flavor you want)
• olive oil
• 4 medium russet baking potatoes (about 2 pounds total)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• sour cream and chopped green onion, to taste, as topping

Recipe

• 1 put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
• 2 cut off and discard top quarter of garlic head. place in a piece of foil and drizzle with just a tiny amount of olive oil (about 1/8 teaspoon). bring up all sides of foil and twist tightly at the top to wrap the garlic tightly in the foil. scrub potatoes and prick with a fork. bake potatoes and garlic on oven rack for 45 minutes.
• 3 remove garlic and let cool. if crispy skin is desired, rub potatoes with olive oil and cover with foil; continue baking potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes more. take potatoes out of oven, but leave the oven on.
• 4 squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into a medium bowl and discard skin. stir in butter, sour cream, and 1 cup cheddar. cutting lengthwise, slice off top quarter of each potato and discard. leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells, scoop flesh out of potatoes and add to cheese mixture. mash with fork to combine. season with salt and pepper and divide among shells.
• 5 arrange potatoes in a small baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar. bake until heated through, 15-20 minutes. add a dollop of sour cream and a generous sprinkling of chopped green onions on top before serving.