One of my favorite ways to make potatoes! You get a layer of mashed potatoes that's covered with cheddar, ranch, bacon and green onions. So much delicious flavor!
Wash and scrub potatoes, poke each one several times with a fork. Place in oven and bake 400 degrees for 65-70 minutes, or until soft when squished (I don't ever preheat the oven, I don't think it's necessary).
Remove baked potatoes from oven (reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees), slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh so potato maintains it's shape. Place potato skins on a baking sheet.
Add butter to hot potato flesh in mixing bowl and mash potatoes with a potato masher until no longer chunky. Add in cream, sour cream, salt and pepper and beat potato mixture with an electric mixer until potatoes are smooth and fluffy about 2 - 3 minutes (Note: if you like your potatoes any thinner just add a little bit of milk a few tablespoons at a time to reach desired consistency).
Fill potato skins with mashed potatoes and smooth out tops with a spoon. Sprinkle filled potatoes with cheddar cheese. Sprinkle each potato with about 1/8 tsp season salt (you could do more or less to your taste) and fresh ground pepper to taste. Bake filled potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes (depending on how gooey or crisp you like your cheese).
Remove from oven, sprinkle potatoes with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions, and drizzle with ranch dressing. Serve immediately.
Ranch Dressing
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well. Cover and let rest in refrigerator 1 hour.