Though I’ve seen recipes for how to make “The Best Twice-Baked Potatoes,” my approach is casual. Usually if I’m serving baked potatoes and steamed broccoli as side dishes for dinner, I throw extra potatoes in the oven and steam enough broccoli to have leftovers. The spoils I turn into stuffed potatoes that can be reheated — twice-baked — for lunches or the next night’s dinner. This recipe is adaptable; feel free to stir sour cream and/or crumbled-up cooked bacon into the mash, or top the potatoes with extra cheese if you like.

Steps

1. Wash the potatoes and poke holes into each potato with a fork. In a 375-degree oven, bake potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 1 hour.
2. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out potato flesh into a large bowl. Add butter and milk. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes to a consistency you like; I like mine fairly smooth, neither clumpy or gluey. Stir in cooked broccoli and Cheddar cheese; season to taste with salt and pepper. Scoop the mashed-potato mixture back into the potato skins, smoothing the tops.
3. To reheat, warm potatoes up in a 350-degree oven until hot, about 20 minutes. If you like, add extra grated cheese to the top of the potatoes during the last 5 minutes of cooking.