Air-Fryer Twice-Baked Potatoes

The twice-baked potato is the steakhouse side that nobody makes at home because of its perceived effort. Bake the potato, scoop it out, mash the inside, restuff it, bake it again — it does sound like a project. But the project is mostly waiting, which the air fryer cuts in half. First bake: 40 minutes at 380°F (vs. 60 in the oven). Second bake: 8 minutes. The total time is just over an hour, but only fifteen minutes of that is hands-on, and the result is the most respectable potato side dish there is.

The photo shows the finish: three halves on a gray plate, the filling piled mountainous and topped with sharp cheddar that's melted into the crevices, crispy bacon crumbles, fresh chives. The skin underneath is still crisp from the first bake. You break through the cheese into the soft mash and find streaks of bacon and onion — it's a baked potato that decided to become a casserole.

A note on the potato: russets are non-negotiable for this. Yukon golds turn waxy when twice-baked; sweet potatoes are a different recipe. You want the dry, fluffy texture that russets give you when their interior has been mashed with dairy fat.