Microwave Baked Potato

If you need dinner on the table with zero delays, then a microwaved baked potato is pretty much an ideal solution. A single potato is ready in under 10 minutes, and cooking a few more alongside hardly takes any longer. Topped with leftover chili, pulled pork, or cheesy broccoli, this dinner staple couldn’t be quicker or easier.

Good ol’ russet potatoes will do the trick here. Any size will do, although larger potatoes might need an extra minute. Also, if you’re cooking more than one potato, try to get potatoes that are all roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate. This said, this isn’t a fussy technique, and if a smaller potato gets an extra minute of cooking time, no harm done. Here’s how to bake potatoes in your microwave.

• It’s incredibly fast. There’s no need to wait an hour for the potatoes to cook in an oven when you can cook them in 10 minutes and under in the microwave.
• The potatoes come out super tender. Microwaved potatoes have tender flesh that you can use for soups and stews or meal prep for the week.

• One potato: Place the potato in a microwave-safe dish and microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Flip, then microwave for an additional 3 minutes.
• Two or more potatoes: Place the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish and microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Flip, then microwave for an additional 5 minutes.

1. Scrub the potatoes clean. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly under running water and pat them dry.
2. Pierce with a fork. Prick the potatoes four or five times on each side with a fork. This allows steam to escape from the baking potato.
3. Rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub the potatoes all over with a little olive oil. Generously sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.
4. Microwave for 5 minutes. Place the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish and microwave at full power for 5 minutes.
5. Flip the potatoes. Use a fork or tongs to flip the potatoes — they will be hot.
6. Continue microwaving the potatoes. If cooking one potato, microwave for an additional 3 minutes. If cooking two or more potatoes, microwave an additional 5 minutes.
7. Check the potatoes. When done, the potatoes should be easily pierced with a fork or paring knife all the way to the center. Continue to microwave in 1-minute bursts as needed until the potatoes are cooked through. Use oven mitts to remove the dish from the microwave.

• Don’t forget to poke holes in the potato: Use a fork and poke the potato four or five times on each side. These little holes allow steam to escape while the potato is cooking. Forget to poke, and your potato could end up exploding in your microwave from the pent-up steam. It’s both messy and a serious dinner let-down.
• For crispier skin: If you’d like crispier skin, heat the oven to 425°F while the potatoes are microwaving, then transfer them to the oven to roast. Check every few minutes and remove once the skin is dry and crisped.

• Microwaved potatoes are great for meal prep. They can be chopped up and added to crustless quiche for breakfast, pureed into soup, or stuffed with beef chili for a super-fast dinner.
• Use them for any recipe that calls for mashed potatoes. From shepherd’s pie and croquettes to mashed potato pancakes, there are so many ways to use microwaved potatoes in recipes.

• Red and yellow potatoes: Since these potatoes are smaller and cook faster, reduce the microwaving time to 3 to 4 minutes per side, with additional 1-minute bursts as needed.

• Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• To reheat: Place them directly on the oven rack in a 325°F oven until warmed through, or microwave until warm.

• Bubble and Squeak
• Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes
• Fried Mashed Potato Balls
• Crispy Cheesy Potato Waffles
• Potato Soup