3 large (the largest you can find) russet potatoes

1 shallot, finely minced

3 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

1 ½ cups white cheddar, freshly shredded

1 ½ cups sour cream, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and poke a few holes in each one with the point of a sharp knife or a fork. Bake for one hour or until tender. Allow them to cool completely and refrigerate until very cold. I bake them the night before and leave them in the fridge overnight.

Using a cheese grater, shred the very cold potatoes with the skin on

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Using two forks, mix in the very finely minced shallot, garlic powder, salt, and pepper

Add the cheese and mix them in using the two forks

Using the same two-fork technique, fold in the sour cream gently. You don’t want to mash the potatoes. Just keep on fluffing them with the two forks until the sour cream is just mixed in. Carefully transfer them to a baking dish and pile them on high, don’t mash them down. Bake for 30-35 mins or until the tops are brown