Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
Kosher salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
4 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 large fresh bay leaf
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
16 slices bacon
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF. Rub the potatoes with a little oil and season the skins with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, until just tender when poked with tines of a fork. Remove and cool. While the potatoes are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat and let melt. Add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and caramelize, stirring frequently, 25-30 minutes. Halve the potatoes lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, season with salt and pepper, and mash with the sour cream, remaining butter, cheese and caramelized onions. Fill the potato skins with mashed potatoes and wrap each potato entirely in bacon, overlapping the slices a little as you wrap them. Arrange on baking rack set over a baking sheet and roast until the bacon is crispy, 15-20 minutes.
