Good baked potatoes with crispy pores and skin and a fluffy buttery inside are a kitchen staple it’s essential to know how one can make. Far out of your common spud, these baked potatoes may be lined in toppings to make a hearty meal or full of butter and cheese for a unprecedented aspect dish.
Right here’s the factor about this excellent baked potato recipe. It’s actually not rocket science, studying how one can make baked potatoes within the oven. However, this technique does create spuds which can be deserving of the label excellent. And, that’s not a phrase I throw round evenly.
This recipe for excellent baked potatoes has been my go-to for years now.
Whether or not I’m utilizing them to make BBQ chicken stuffed baked potatoes for the boys or making an enormous, cozy pot of baked potato soup, it at all times begins proper right here. And, I by no means get uninterested in it.
The Good Baked Potato!
When you’ve tended to shrug off baked potatoes as a boring aspect dish, now’s the time to rethink your stance. I assure you these potatoes can change your thoughts. Too usually baked potatoes end up waxy with powerful pores and skin, or else overcooked and mushy. When finished proper although? Oh boy. Buckle up, as a result of these are heavenly.
My youngest son was my helper once I first shot a video prepping these potatoes. I nonetheless grin on the reminiscence of his little fingers drizzling the oil and sprinkling the salt. Belief me, if a 5 yr previous can do that, you possibly can too!
Substances and Substitutions
Potatoes – There is just one sort of potato on the subject of the recipe for the most effective baked potatoes. Russets. All the way in which.
Oil – You’re going to wish oil to assist the pores and skin crisp up and get the salt to stay. I want olive oil. You may swap for one more oil with a excessive smoke level, although.
Salt – I at all times use kosher salt. And, this recipe is an effective instance of why. Fantastic desk salt simply vanishes into the oil. Coarse kosher grains are the place it’s at!
Notes on Tools
- Rimmed baking sheet – There is just one sort of baking sheet that has earned my complete hearted belief. I’ve acquired a number of sizes over time, in order that I’m prepared for any activity within the oven. They’re sturdy however gentle, and the value is true.
- Fork
- Scrub brush or tough sponge
Tips on how to Make Baked Potatoes
Preheating the Oven: Crank it to 400°F. Let it preheat whilst you prep the potatoes.
Scrubbing the Potatoes: Potatoes develop within the floor (surprising, I do know!), and so it’s essential to clear them properly earlier than anything.
Drying: After washing the potatoes, I dry them utterly. This helps the oil to stay, and retains additional moisture out of the oven.
Poking with a Fork: Stab every potato a number of instances. You’re making holes for the steam to flee. So, don’t skip this step. We don’t need them to bust open within the oven.
Oiling: I place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle every potato with a few teaspoon of oil. Then, I simply rub the oil all them over with my fingers.
Salting: A sprinkling of salt is the ultimate ingredient earlier than you pop these potatoes within the oven. I’m beneficiant with my salt. Don’t skimp on the flavour.
Baking: Into the oven they go. I discover that an hour is the candy spot, baking potatoes within the oven. Give or take just some minutes, and also you’ll have potatoes which can be mushy all through, with crispy skins that make folks need to rave about them.
Checking for Doneness: When you’re unsure they’re completed, examine them with a fork. The fork ought to pierce the potato simply and slide proper in. The pores and skin ought to look brown and crisp, not soggy in any respect.
Fluffing: When the potatoes are completed, I pull them from the oven and slice each down the center. Then, I crack them open and fluff the insides with a fork.
Serving: Prime these excellent baked potatoes with the toppings of your selection.
Professional Tip
Can we speak in regards to the foil factor for a second? As a result of I really feel fairly strongly about this. Rising up, I assumed you HAD to wrap potatoes in foil earlier than making baked potatoes within the oven. That’s what everybody did, proper? However, foil traps all of the steam in there with the potato, and what you get is principally a steamed potato with unhappy, limp pores and skin. Say goodbye to foil!
Identical Dimension Potatoes – I really feel like a damaged file at this level, however I’m going to say it once more as a result of it issues. Uniform sized gadgets will typically cook dinner on the identical time within the oven. When you put a large russet on the sheet with three smaller ones, there’s going to be an underdone spud at time for dinner. Spare your self the trouble, and ensure you’re selecting potatoes which can be the identical measurement.
Fluff, Fluff, Fluff – PLEASE don’t skip this. I do know it appears minor. However whenever you slice that potato open, it’s essential to actually work the insides with a fork and push the 2 ends towards one another. Opens the entire thing up. That’s how you find yourself with all these fluffy little pockets that the butter melts into.
Feeding a Crowd – Baked potatoes are my favourite reply to the query of what to feed a crowd with out spending a fortune. They’re economical and everybody simply loves a potato bar. Simply add a second pan into the oven for those who want extra russets.
Candy Potatoes Work Too – One in all my readers, Charlene, requested if she might use this identical strategy with candy potatoes. YES. Identical oil, identical salt, identical temperature. Simply give them an additional 10 to fifteen minutes within the oven as a result of they are typically a bit denser. You’ll love the crisp skins!
Serving Ideas
I wish to pair an ideal baked potato with garlic butter steak bites at our home. It’s like having a steakhouse dinner at dwelling. And, for those who haven’t drizzled cowboy butter excessive of a scorching baked potato but? Do it. Quickly. You’ll not be sorry.
For one thing inexperienced on the plate, sauteed broccoli and asparagus is a superb selection. Or, simply set out bowls of toppings and let everybody construct their very own.
Make Forward & Storage
Make Forward: I do that ALL the time. If I’m internet hosting a dinner or prepping for the week, I’ll bake all of the potatoes I would like, allow them to cool on the counter, then stick them within the fridge. Achieved. Then when I would like them, it’s only a matter of reheating them and crisping them again up within the oven. One in all my readers, Tiffany used this technique to bake 50 potatoes the day earlier than a employees lunch!
Tips on how to Retailer: Allow them to cool first. Then I simply wrap every potato individually (or throw all of them in an enormous container with a lid, no matter’s simpler). They’ll preserve within the fridge a stable 4 to five days like that. We undergo ours quick, however you may also freeze them to make them last more.
Tips on how to Reheat: You need to use the oven or the air fryer. You want that dry warmth to get them to crisp up in order that they style such as you simply made them. In a pinch, I’ll use the microwave if I’m in a rush.
Extra Potato Recipes
Regularly Requested Questions
Oh, my gosh. Russet. Fingers down! The starch content material is what offers you that fluffy inside, and the thicker pores and skin holds as much as oil and salt in a manner that thinner skinned varieties simply don’t.
No! Please don’t. I do know it’s a standard behavior, however foil traps the steam and steams the potato as a substitute of baking it. Spare your self all that soggy pores and skin with no crunch. Simply put them on the sheet pan with oil and salt and go away them alone.
An hour is my normal rule, but it surely actually relies on the potato. I’ve had smaller russets end in about 50 minutes. And I’ve had large ones that wanted nearer to 75. The fork check tells you all the pieces it’s essential to know. If it slides in simple? Pull them out.
As many as will slot in your oven. The strategy simply works, whether or not it’s just some potatoes for dinner otherwise you’re making baked potatoes for a crowd. Simply give them house to breathe on the baking sheets. They shouldn’t be touching or they’ll steam.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the potatoes to take away all grime after which rinse and dry completely. Poke a number of holes into every potato with a fork after which place them on a baking sheet.
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Drizzle every potato with about 1 teaspoon of oil. Rub the oil throughout every potato. Generously sprinkle every potato with salt after which place within the oven.
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Bake for simply over an hour, till fork tender. They need to be crisp on the skin and tender inside.
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When the potatoes are completed, take away from the oven and slice each down the middle and fluff with a fork. Prime every potato with the toppings of your selection. Get pleasure from!
Energy: 209 kcal | Carbohydrates: 38 g | Protein: 4 g | Fats: 4 g | Sodium: 785 mg | Potassium: 888 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin C: 12.1 mg | Calcium: 28 mg | Iron: 1.8 mg
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
{initially printed 4/24/19 – recipe notes and images up to date 4/22/26}
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