I Tried Joanna Gaines’ Brilliant Butter Trick for Baked Potatoes, and It Was Even Better Than Expected

I’ve never tried a baked potato that I haven’t loved. There’s something immensely comforting about a tender spud drowned in melted cheese and topped with a bunch of fixings. My passion for this meal runs very deep. I unabashedly will find myself in deep rabbit holes on TikTok, watching influencers devour flights of them. So when I came across a recipe from Joanna Gaines that tops them with a homemade jalapeño compound butter — I couldn’t wait to test them out.

Get the recipe: Joanna Gaines’ Loaded Baked Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Then, prepare your russet potatoes by brushing them with a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkling with about a half teaspoon of salt on each one.

Then, put the potatoes on a baking sheet, place it on the bottom oven rack, and cook for three hours.

Meanwhile, char the jalapeños by holding the peppers over a flame on your stove for a few minutes until the skin blackens. 

Then, blend the garlic and jalapeños down to a paste in a mini food processor. Next, add the softened butter and garlic salt, and whip it all together. 

Once you’ve carefully removed the baked potatoes from the oven, let them cool a little before slicing them down the center and filling them with the compound butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and charred jalapeños. 

Typically, when I make baked potatoes from scratch, it takes me at least 10 minutes (if I’m using a microwave) and a maximum of an hour if I’m roasting them. When I finally got situated and reviewed this recipe, I was stunned that you must reserve three hours to cook them in the oven.  

If you decide to follow this recipe, I’m not sure you really need to bake them as long as Gaines suggests. I recommend nixing that step and heating your oven to 425°F, pricking them with a fork, and cooking them directly on the oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes — flipping them over every 20 minutes and checking for doneness by poking them with a fork. Or, if you’re really looking for a shortcut, toss them in the microwave. 

The actual star of this recipe is the charred jalapeño compound butter. It upgraded the flavor of these baked potatoes, infusing them with hints of spiciness and umami, thanks to the charred garlic. Next time, I plan on doubling this part of the recipe so I can drown my spuds in it.

• Top with carnitas. The spicy charred jalapeño compound butter would pair deliciously with a heaping of juicy carnitas piled on top of these baked potatoes. 
• Douse them with salsa. This baked potato would shine with a bright and zesty salsa verde, which would cut through the richness of the cheese and sour cream in this dish. 
• Swap the cheddar. Cheddar is a foolproof route when deciding what cheese to top your baked potato with, but if you’re looking to step outside the box, try grating on some Gruyère, Gouda, or Muenster.

Get the recipe: Joanna Gaines’ Loaded Baked Potatoes