Wash potatoes. With a paring knife, insert a ½-inch slit into each potato.
Bake potatoes on middle rack for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Cut in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the potato; leaving about ¼-inch of potato around the skins, into a medium bowl.
Add the melted butter, warm milk, brown sugar, vanilla seeds, and salt to the potato. Mash together, then beat with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add a little more milk if needed to achieve the right consistency. You don’t want runny mashed potatoes.
Spoon the mixture back into the skins. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Mix the softened butter with the reserved vanilla seeds.
Top the potatoes with a dollop of vanilla butter and a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
