This Irish Ingredient Is the Key to the Best Twice-Baked Potatoes

A simply baked potato with salt and butter is delicious, but a twice-baked potato stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes and cheese? Ooooh maaaah gaaaaw! Now that's an unrivaled way to eat a humble spud.

If you need some convincing because you've only known under-seasoned, dense baked potatoes with soft skins and no toppings, I'm here to point you to an easy trick I learned from Leite Culinaria's recipe for twice-baked potatoes: Fill it with Irish cheddar. It's a high-quality ingredient that will get you a tastier and creamier dish you'll want to make on repeat.

The Best Irish Cheddar for Twice-Baked Potatoes

Though I'll eat a potato stuffed with any kind of cheese, there's a smart reason for using Irish cheddar.

According to Leite's, "Irish Cheddar tends to be less tangy than the Cheddar made elsewhere, with faintly sweet notes and, according to Murray’s, one of Manhattan’s finest purveyors of cheese, an 'unusually sweet and fruited flavor.'"

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph, our in-house cheese super fan and expert recommends three Irish cheddars:

1. Kerrygold Reserve: You'll find this at your local grocery store. Target carries the seven-ounce block for $5.59.
2. Kerrygold Dubliner: Costco sells two-pound bricks of this cheese for about $11, which is a great deal. Can't imagine eating that much cheese before it goes bad? Freeze it!
3. Tipperary: This is a special cheddar from the magical land of Tipperary in Ireland. It may be a little harder to find—check your local cheese shop or online.

How To Add Irish Cheddar To Your Twice-Baked Potato Recipe

Do try Leite Culinaria's wonderful recipe—I have and it's as delicious as it looks. If you want to make our popular twice-baked potatoes or use your recipe, here's what you do:

Start by shredding a block of your favorite Irish cheddar through the largest hole of a box grater. An eight-ounce block of cheese will be enough to fill and top four large baked potatoes.

Follow your recipe to bake, halve, and scoop the flesh out of the potatoes. Stir in the shredded cheese into the mashed potatoes along with the butter, cream, and whatever else you typically add to the filling. Fill the hallowed skins and top with more cheese. Bake until the potatoes are ooey, gooey, and glorious. It's so good, don't be surprised if your family asks for you to make them again.