My Momma was quite the Southern Belle. She loved to entertain, so she and Daddy threw a lot of dinner parties when I was growing up. However, there was one particular dinner party that still remains etched in my memory. One of Daddy’s Lieutenant Colonels that worked under him was getting transferred, so Momma was throwing him and his wife a little going-away-party. It was almost Thanksgiving, so Momma decided to make it a holiday dinner. The day of the party, the whole house was filled with the wonderful smells of fresh turkey, oyster dressing, twice-baked potatoes , and fresh bread, baking away in the ovens.
I had helped my Momma in the kitchen ahead of time with the potatoes. My job was cutting the baked potatoes in half, scooping out the pulp, and adding to the pulp, all the wonderful ingredients . And, of course, snitching a spoonful of the delicious mixture whenever Momma wasn’t looking. Not to be the stingy sort, I naturally shared some of the potato mix and cheese topping with our wrinkled-faced, feed-me-because-I’m-starving- and slobbering-all-over-your-foot, 80 pound basset hound, Mister Louie. (Named after King Louis) Before long, the table was beautifully set with Momma’s fine china and the house was filled with the loud chatter and laughter of all the guests. Daddy was his usual wonderful host, and made sure everyone had a full martini glass to toast the leaving Lieutenant . As the roast turkey was brought out to all the “Ooohs and Ahhhs” of the guests, us kids and Mister Louie (after he performed his special howling trick for an applauding crowd) were shooed upstairs to the TV room for the remainder of the evening. Later on that night, I vaguely remember Momma saying to my older sister, “Just leave all the food on the table and I’ll put it up when we get back from the Officer’s Club.” And, off they went to for drinks and dancing.
Around midnight, we heard the front door shut and my Daddy yelling, “What the hell!! That crazy***hound dawg! Is he dead?!” When I heard this, I raced down the stairs with my sister and brother, to see what had happened to my little “baby dawg.” And, there, on Momma’s fine linen tablecloth, lying on his back with his legs flopped over onto the china platter which now, only held a licked-clean empty turkey carcass, was our bassett hound, Mister Louie. He had, not only, eaten the rest of the roast turkey, but also all the rolls, a half-stick of butter, leftover oyster dressing and the rest of the twice-baked potatoes, and had even licked all the plates clean. The poor thing had eaten so much that he was too full to move and now lay on his back, feet-up, groaning on the top of Momma’s table. Frankly, I was scared for Mister Louie’s life. Not because of what he’d done, but because of what my Daddy might do to him. But, suddenly, Momma and Daddy both burst out laughing and Momma said, on her way up the stairs, “Ya’ll get that crazy hound offa my dinin’ table and into his bed. If he’s still alive in the morning, I’ll take him to the vet. Oh…And ya’ll better be sure that ‘dawggie’ door of his is open.” And, off she and Daddy went to their bed as we carried Mister Louie to his.
So, I guess the moral of the story is; When you’re in the kitchen makin’ twice-baked potatoes, don’t be sneakin’ your basset hound a bite… ’cause he might just be in your dinin’ room, later… and remember how good it was!
Mister Louie's' Twice-Baked Potatoes
Recipe by: Bobbi Jo Lathan
Recipe type: Side Dish
Serves: 5
PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
65 mins
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 15 mins
INGREDIENTS
5 Big ol’ baking potatoes (one potato makes 2 Twice-baked ones)
1⁄4 cup Evaporated milk
1⁄4 cup Butter
4 Green onions (chop only the green stems)
11⁄2 teaspoons Garlic powder
Oil (for greasing the potatoes)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
11⁄2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash them big ol’ bakin’ potatoes and prick holes in them with a knife so they don’t explode in the oven.
Grease them (just pour some oil on your hand and oil the potatoes).
Bake ‘em at 350° F in a baking pan for 1 hour or ‘til a knife will go through them easily.
Hold ‘em with a hot pad and cut in half and scoop out (leaving a little potato lining) the baked potato part into a big bowl.
Place the shells back on the baking pan.
Now, mix all the ingredients to your taste and mash it with a potato masher - so it looks like mashed potatoes.
Scoop the mixture back into the potato shells and sprinkle grated cheese on top.
Bake at 350° F ‘til just turning golden on top.
Serve ‘em hot! You’ll love ‘em!
NOTES
You can add a dollop of sour cream on top before serving (That's how Momma liked it.) Or you can add some bacon bits. (That's how Daddy liked it.) Or you can serve it plain with the golden cheese topping. (That's how Mister Louis liked it.)
Mister Louie
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