Description
Jalapeno Popper Twice Baked Potatoes bring a spicy twist to the classic twice baked potato by combining creamy cheeses, diced jalapenos, and crispy bacon, all finished with a smoky flavor from grilling on a cedar plank. Perfect as a flavorful side dish or a hearty appetizer that delivers a perfect balance of heat, creaminess, and smokiness.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes
- 6 large baking potatoes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Filling
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons Ranch dressing mix or 1-ounce packet of store-bought
- 4 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced, divided
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
- 2 tablespoons green onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rinse and dry the potatoes thoroughly. Poke each potato several times with a knife to allow steam to escape during baking. Coat each potato with vegetable oil on all sides and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until they become tender when pierced. Remove from the oven and let them cool enough to handle safely.
- Soak Cedar Plank: While the potatoes are baking, soak a large cedar plank in water to prepare it for grilling later.
- Hollow Potatoes: Lay the cooled potatoes on their sides and cut a slice off the top of each. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the centers of the potatoes, transferring the insides to a large mixing bowl. Place the hollowed-out potato shells on a baking sheet to hold their shape.
- Mix Filling: Add the sour cream, softened cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, ranch dressing mix, 1 cup cheddar cheese (reserve ½ cup for topping), diced jalapenos (reserve some for garnish), crumbled bacon (reserve some for topping), green onion, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to the bowl with the potato insides. Mix thoroughly until the filling is smooth and well combined.
- Stuff Potatoes: Spoon the cheesy jalapeno and bacon mixture into the hollow potato shells. Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup of cheddar cheese and reserved crumbled bacon evenly on top of each stuffed potato.
- Prepare Grill and Plank: Preheat your grill to have zones of direct and indirect heat. Remove the soaked cedar plank from the water and place it on the grill over direct heat. Char one side of the plank lightly, then flip and char the other side to add smoky flavor.
- Grill Potatoes: Place the stuffed potatoes on the lightly charred cedar plank and move the plank to the indirect heat zone (maintain grill temperature between 350–400°F). Grill for 15–20 minutes, or until the cheese topping has melted and the potatoes are heated through.
- Garnish and Serve: Remove the plank from the grill, sprinkle the reserved diced jalapenos over the potatoes for an extra kick, and serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- Soaking the cedar plank prevents it from burning on the grill and imparts a subtle smoky flavor to the potatoes.
- Adjust the amount of jalapenos according to your heat preference; leaving seeds in the jalapenos will increase the spice level.
- You can bake potatoes in the oven and finish under the broiler if a grill is not available, but grilling adds a distinctive smoked taste.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in the oven for best texture.
- To make this dish vegetarian, omit the bacon and increase the cheese and jalapeno quantities slightly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
