Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Prepare a baking dish by lining with a foil.
Wash the potatoes very well to remove any dirt.
Pat them dry.
Poke the potatoes with a fork in multiple places so that they don’t explode while baking.
With the skin on, rub the outside of each potato with oil.
Sprinkle salt (around 1 teaspoon) on the surface of ALL the potatoes.
Place them on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour or until fork tender.
Allow potatoes to cool ( about 5-10 minutes) so you can handle them (or use a tea towel to hold them).
Once out of the oven, cut them in half LENGTHWISE — be careful they will be very hot!
With a spoon, scoop out the insides of the potatoes gently, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the inside of the skin. Now you have the potato boats.
Place the scooped out potato in a bowl and mash it with a potato masher while still hot. (It doesn’t need to be completely smooth nor do you want big potato chunks).
To the mashed potatoes add all following- milk, sour cream, red chili flakes/paprika powder, black pepper powder, Sriracha, herbs and salt (remaining 2 teaspoons).
Mash filling until smooth and creamy. If it is dry, add milk to it ½ tablespoons at a time.
At this point, do a taste test and adjust the seasoning according to your preference.
Finally add in 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and mix.
The filing is now ready!
Evenly scoop the mashed potato filling back in the potato boats.
Top the filled boats with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you want).
Transfer the potato boats back to the baking sheet.
Bake at 350℉ for an additional 10-15 minutes and then broil on High for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese turns golden brown.