Vegan Twice Baked Potatoes

I've always loved baked potatoes. Growing up, I ate them dressed only with salt, so as to not ruin their perfection. When I got older, I realized a drizzle of olive oil or a smear of margarine took them to new heights. Then, few years ago I discovered the twice baked potato. How I hadn't heard of such deliciousness before amazes me. They became somewhat of an obsession, to the point where my coworkers would say "What's for lunch, Sara? Let me guess... twice baked potatoes!" (they were exaggerating... a little bit). If, like me, you live under a rock and have never had twice baked potatoes you might not want to try them. Why, you ask, should you deprive yourself of something so wonderful? Well, twice baked potatoes will probably ruin conventional baked potatoes for you. They are so much better, you probably won't be able to get enough. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Vegan Twice Baked Potatoes
Makes 6 servings or 12 potato halves

• 6 medium or about 3 lbs / 1.4 kg  russet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and pierced in a few places with a fork
• 1 small to medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated non-dairy butter
• 1/4 cup almond or other non-dairy milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Paprika for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 400 F / 205 C. Bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack for about 1 hour or until they're soft to the touch.
2. While the potatoes are baking, heat he olive oil over low to medium heat in a small pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's soft, sweet and has started to brown, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Put the onions into a large mixing bowl along with the garlic and the parsley.
3. When the potatoes are cooked, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, reserving the skins. Since you want to do this while they're hot, it might help to use an oven mitt lined with a paper towel, to prevent potato from getting on your mitt and getting crusty, to hold the hot potatoes. Add the potato insides to the bowl holding the onions, parsley and garlic. Blend in the Earth Balance, salt, and pepper using a fork or a potato masher.Pour in the almond milk and mash it in. The  resulting mixture should be a bit chunkier than mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, Earth Balance and almond milk to your liking.
4.  Using a spoon, refill the empty potato skins. Dust the potatoes with paprika and bake them at 375 F / 190 C for another 20 minutes or until they start to brown. Serve right out of the oven. If you have leftovers, these are also fantastic reheated in the microwave.