How to Make the Best Baked Potatoes
Love baked potatoes and wondering how to make them taste incredible every time?
Potatoes are one of my very favorite foods—they’re affordable, crowd-pleasing, versatile, and so darn GOOD. You can prepare them as an easy side dish or load them up with all sorts of delicious toppings as a yummy meal.
Russet potatoes are the best option for baking because their thick skin gets crispy on the outside, while the starchy insides bake up soft and steamy. My biggest tip is to coat the outside with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. After baking, you’ll get a delicious potato, easy to prepare any day of the week!
Here’s how to make the absolute best baked potatoes!
Oven Baked Potatoes
yield: 2 SERVINGS
prep time: 5 MINUTES
cook time: 45 MINUTES
total time: 50 MINUTES
Perfectly baked with crispy skin on the outside and fluffy potato on the inside.
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes
- olive oil
- sea salt
- toppings: such as butter, sour cream, bacon bits, etc.
Directions
1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For easy clean-up, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
2
Wash and dry potatoes. Use a fork to pierce a few holes in the potatoes. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3
Place in the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. They will be done when the outside is crisp and the inside is soft and tender.
4
Remove from the oven and slice down the middle - but be careful as the potatoes will be quite hot! Serve with desired toppings and enjoy! It's that easy!
Additional tips for making the best baked potatoes:
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- Microwave for 3-4 minutes before placing them in the oven for even faster baked potatoes.
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- Using the air fryer is also another great method to cook baked potatoes, especially if you’re only making a couple. There’s no preheat time and when the weather is warm, this method won’t heat your entire kitchen just for a couple of potatoes. Air fry potatoes for about 40 minutes on 400 degrees and the skin will be super crispy and so good!
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- Baked potatoes are great for meal prepping! One idea is to make a couple extra and then fry them up in a skillet later on in the week to make breakfast potatoes or breakfast burritos—YUM!
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- If you prefer a softer skin texture, wrap them in aluminum foil before placing them in the oven. You could even coat the skin with some butter, a pinch of garlic powder, and a tiny bit of Italian seasoning for extra flavor before wrapping in foil.
There’s nothing better than a warm, buttery baked potato!
This is such a onlineforting food and so simple to bake! My family could eat them all the time and it’s so easy to customize with any toppings you like. You could also bulk it up by turning baked potatoes into a meal by adding homemade chili or shredded BBQ chicken as a yummy, hearty idea.
Need an easy meal idea to serve a large crowd?
Consider baking a large number of potatoes and then setting up a yummy baked potato bar with a large variety of toppings for folks to build their own loaded potato as a meal!
Make creamy potato salad using the Instant Pot for your next potluck!
