The perfect baked potato is crispy on the outside and pillowy in the middle. Cracked open and still steaming, it's ready to receive anything from a sprinkle of cheese to last night's stew. Here's how to make them.
Baking a potato in the oven does require a little more time zapping it in the microwave, but it's mostly hands off time. You can walk in the door, throw a few potatoes in oven while it's still warming up, and carry on with your after-work routine until they're ready to eat. Just don't forget to set a timer!
Russets are the best for baking like this. The skins are thicker and the starchy interior has a sweet flavor and fluffy texture when baked. Russets are also typically fairly large. One of them per person makes a good side dish or meal on its own.
How to Bake a Potato
What You Need
Ingredients
One russet potato per person
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Equipment
A fork
A baking sheet covered in foil
Instructions
1. Heat the Oven to 425°F - Turn on the oven while you're preparing the potatoes.
2. Scrub the Potatoes - Scrub the potatoes thoroughly under running water and pat them dry. You don't have to remove the eyes, but trim away any blemishes with a paring knife.
3. Season the Potatoes - Rub the potatoes all over with a little olive oil. It's easiest to use your hands, but a pastry brush also works fine. Generously sprinkle the potatoes on all sides with salt and pepper.
4. Prick with a Fork - Prick the potatoes in a few places with the tines of a fork. This allows steam to escape from the baking potato.
5. Bake the Potatoes - You can bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack, or you can place them a few inches apart on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the potatoes for 50-60 minutes. Flip them over every 20 minutes or so and check them for doneness by piercing them with a fork. Potatoes are done when the skins are dry and the insides feel completely soft when pierced.
Additional Notes:
• To cut down the baking time, microwave the potatoes for 3-4 minutes in the microwave before baking.
• For softer skins, wrap the potatoes in foil before baking.
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(Images: Emma Christensen)
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What is the reasoning behind salting the outside? I get the oil, sure. Is it just so the skin is appealing at the table?
How do results differ, when potatoes are placed directly on the rack versus on the foil-lined sheet?
@Lasomnambule - Rubbing salt and pepper in the skin makes it taste better! You could also use herbs (rosemary is fantastic!). To a lesser extent, the salt also helps draw moisture and make the skin crispier.
@Margaret - No major difference, though the potatoes may bake a little more quickly and evenly since they're getting radiant heat from all sides. I find that the biggest advantage to using the sheet is that it's easier to pull the potatoes out of the oven to check them, especially if I'm cooking several at once.
Thanks! This is supposed to be one of those obvious things, but I never managed to learn and didn't know how hot to have the oven or how long to cook.
The salt makes the skin crispier and the inside fluffier. It is very, very important to use starchy potatoes like russetts to get the right effect.
The difference between this recipe and the one I use, from Delia Smith, is that Delia says to turn the oven to 375°, and bake them 1 3/4 - 2 hours. The slower oven makes them even crunchier and fluffier.
Yeah, I agree with MsChatelaine (and Delia Smith) that if you have the time, longer at a lower temp makes the best baked potatoes. But I do them plenty often for shorter at 425 and they're still great--leaps and bounds beyond microwaving. (As a teenager, I was delighted to discover I could have a baked potato in 5 minutes from the microwave and ate them that way all the time. Now--bleach. Wouldn't bother if I don't have time for the oven.)
I've only ever popped them in plain, though--very intrigued by the oil and salt. Will have to try that technique this week!
I always do them at 350 for an hour and a half or so.
I like to make a bunch at a time, they are just as good reheated, and you don't have to wait for dinner.
I love this, its super fast if you have pre-baked potatoes
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/sea-salt-baked-potatoes-recipe.html
@Margaret - I prefer baking them on the rack but the salt on the potato can bake onto the rack and also drip to the bottom of your oven, making a bit of more cleanup later.
I actually used the moisture from washing the potatoes to get the salt and pepper to stick, instead of oil. I thought oil might make the skins more likely to burn or char.. I guess not?
The olive oil technique works so well - in fact it just browns the skins beautifully! And you need very little in your hands to rub lovingly into all the potatoes... Will do the salt next time, thanks
No need to stick them with a fork before cooking. Cook for a half hour, then stick them once with a knife and flip over to the other side for another half hour, directly on the oven rack. I like to rub the outside with butter.
to speed up time, I microwave the potato first (i first poke a few holes in it with a fork) for about 8 minutes. then i place in the oven to get it crispy. comes out perfect every time.
Srsly, didn't everyone learn how to bake a potato in the oven by watching what Mom did?
Sheesh...
Anyway, I scrub the outside and season the skin because I eat the whole spud, skin and all!
well, some of us weren't lucky enough to have Mom around.
Yes, I learned from my mother how to bake a potato, and she was wrong (about a lot of things, as it turns out). She taught me to wrap them in foil, which traps the moisture and steams them, resulting in soggy skins and mushy centers. Bleah. I much prefer this method.
I watched my mom cook a ton when I was younger but honestly I just watched and didn't want to get in her way and ended up not retaining a whole lot of information even though we had homemade meals 4-5 nights a week.... Now that I'm extremely interested in cooking, it's helpful to have websites like these that help move a person from just "someone in the kitchen" to a cook!