Baked Potato Recipe
This perfect baked potato is salt-crusted and crispy on the outside with a fluffy, tender center, made with just russet potatoes, olive oil, and sea salt. I take about 5 minutes to prep and let the oven do the rest for the next hour.
Ingredients
- 5 large baking potatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Rinse the baked potatoes under cold water and rub with your hands to remove any dirt. Dry with a towel.
- Mix together the oil and salt in a medium-size bowl until combined.
- Taking one potato at a time add it to the bowl and completely coat it in the oil and salt.
- Place the potatoes once coated onto a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 60 minutes.
- When they are done cooking serve whole, or slice in the center and push the outsides to the middle and serve.
Notes
I have baked thousands of potatoes, and the two things I see people get wrong every single time are oven temperature and skin preparation. I crank my oven higher than most recipes tell you to, and I coat the skin in more salt than most people are comfortable with. That is what separates a restaurant-quality baked potato from the one you grew up eating.
Do not wrap in foil: Foil traps steam and makes the skin soft and soggy. I never wrap my potatoes. The whole point of baking them is to get crispy skin, and foil defeats that purpose.
Skip the fork poking: I know a lot of people say to pierce the potato so it does not explode. In all my years of cooking, I have never had a potato explode in the oven. Piercing creates holes that let moisture escape, and that can dry out the inside. I leave them whole.
Use a thermometer: I check for 210°F internally. At that temperature, the starches have fully broken down and the inside is light and fluffy. Anything under 200°F and the center will still be dense.
Size matters: I pick potatoes that are roughly the same size so they finish at the same time. If I have a mix of sizes, I pull the smaller ones out first and leave the larger ones in a few minutes longer.
Let them rest for a minute: I give the potatoes a couple of minutes after they come out of the oven before slicing. The steam inside is extremely hot and needs a moment to settle.
Make-Ahead: Baked potatoes are meant to be eaten within an hour of making them.
How to Reheat: Place the baked potato in a pan or on a metal tray and bake in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes or until warmed. Likewise, you can microwave it until warm.
How to Store: Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. These do not freeze that well, so I advise against it.
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1406mgPotassium: 889mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg