There are several methods to bake a potato, but this is the Perfect Baked Potato Recipe because the potato skin is crispy and the insides are soft and fluffy.
We love to top our potatoes with butter, salt and pepper, as well as my homemade chili for a delicious meal.
We like to have potatoes for dinner once in awhile. It’s a cheap meal, and it can be fun for the kiddos too. We put out all the fixin’s, {chili, cheese, sour cream, green onions, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, etc}and the kids have a blast creating their very own dinner.
How To Bake a Potato
- Try to find potatoes that are similar in size for consistent baking.
- To start off, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Scrub the potatoes under running water to remove all the dirt.
- Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel.
- Using a fork, carefully pierce the potatoes two to three times per side.
How To Get Crispy Skinned Baked Potatoes
Tired of soggy potato skins? DON’T wrap your potatoes in foil when baking, use these simple steps to get crispy skin with a delicious salted crust!
- Brush the whole potato with olive oil. This will make the skins nice and crispy when baked.
- Sprinkle the tops with some sea salt.
- Place them directly on the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork is able to pierce the potato with little resistance.
PRO TIP: I like to place a foil lined baking sheet on the shelf underneath the potatoes just in case anything drips off of the potatoes.
Tips For Opening a Baked Potato:
Once the potatoes have cooked, you’ll want to pop them open to enjoy those fluffy insides. To get that restaurant quality baked potato, follow these simple steps!
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Run a knife lengthwise across the salted top, leaving about 1/2 inch on both sides.
- Using both hands, pinch each side of the potato.
- While pinching, push towards the center of the potato, forcing it to open up.
- Keep pushing and squeeze the fluffy insides up. It might take one or two tries, but it will look like one fancy potato once you master this technique!
And there you have it! One crispy-skinned baked potato ready for all the fixin’s!!
What To Serve With Baked Potatoes
Baked Potatoes are a delicious side dish to go along with just about any meal, but here are a few of my favorite main dishes to pair them with.
- Classic Meatloaf
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- Garlic Mushroom Steaks
- The Best Chili (great for topping those potatoes!)
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The Perfect Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 4 Baking Potatoes - make sure they are all similar in size
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt - I prefer to use a coarser sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Scrub the potatoes under running water to remove all the dirt. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel. Using a fork, carefully pierce the potatoes two to three times per side.
- Brush the whole potato with olive oil, then sprinkle the tops with salt.
- Place them directly on the middle rack of the oven. (I like to place a foil lined baking sheet underneath just in case anything drips off of the potatoes) Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a fork is able to pierce the potato with little resistance. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
To Open Potatoes:
- Run a knife lengthwise across the salted top, leaving about 1/2 inch on both sides.
- Using both hands, pinch each side of the potato.
- While pinching, push towards the center of the potato, forcing it to open up. Keep pushing and squeeze the fluffy insides up. Fill with any toppings you would like!
Nutrition
Easy Gingerdoodle Cookie Recipe
Outbacker
I have worked for Outback for 10 years… The correct way is to roll your cleaned, pricked potatoe’s in salted butter than put alot of Kosher Salt all over the potaoes. Bake as normal. I’m sure your way is good as well. 🙂
Shawn
Ohh! I love the idea of the salted butter! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Sarah
I make them the same exact way except I sprinkle Lemon Pepper over the whole potato instead of putting salt on top… I always get rave reviews from dinner guests! Yum!
Channing
Wish I would have known this last time we tried to make baked potatoes. // We brushed the same amount of oil on top & added salt, but wrapped them in foil and set them directly on the racks without anything underneath… according to my mom, it normally works that way. But we had a small fire in the oven from the oil dripping to the bottom. 🙁 And it was so hard to clean up!
Katie
Oh wow! I just made these for our New Year’s Eve dinner & they were AMAZING! Sooo soft inside & crispy outside. I’ll never make a potato another way.
Shawn
Thanks Katie! That’s the kind of comment that I love to hear! 🙂 So glad you love them!
Laurie
Love these. I discovered this about a month ago and make them this way every time now. The other day I asked my daughter what she wanted for dinner and she said “the fancy baked potato”!
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Awesome post.
Megan
I LOVE baked potatoes. I’ll have to give this a try! Side note; I put cottage cheese on baked potatoes. I’ve done this since I was a child. Every person I introduce it to loves it as well. Way better than sour cream in my opinion.
Nancy
I’m with Megan, cottage cheese and a spice mixture called Spike!
KP
This is too funny! I bought I was the only one who liked potatoes with cottage cheese! People think I’m so weird. Glad I’m not alone! I like it either this way or just plain with salt.
TS-65
Restraunt Trick – use a fork to slit the potato (make a cross) – the potato will be much more fluffy than if you cut it.
Beth
A quick way to make your potatoes look nice and fluffy is to smash it with you hand before you make the slit. Not too hard, of course, because you don’t want to break the potato open. I’ve worked in a restaurant for years, and this is a little trick I’ve learned to make the potato look more appetizing, when you push up after its smashed it fluffs right up for you.
NatalieMac
These are baking in the oven right now! I can’t wait to try them.
Growing up, we always topped our baked potatoes with butter and french onion dip. The first time I ordered a baked potato in a restaurant and got plain old sour cream I thought it was too boring. He he.
I love them loaded – butter, sour cream, bacon, green onions, and shredded cheese. But I just love baked potatoes in general. Butter, sour cream, salsa. Cheese and broccoli. Bacon and cheese. I could go on, but I’ll spare you. Thanks for the tips.
Becky
Shortcut – Scrub, pierce, then nuke your potato for about 10 minutes each (squeeze them to check – they should be soft). Then brush with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle with salt and put in the oven…but for only 10 minutes to crisp the skin!! I do this all the time.
Pa
These look great. I can’t wait to try this method. As an fyi…if you make a small cross cut, as well as the first cut, it makes the potato open and smush so much better. 🙂
Yogagoddess08
I had to try this recipe and it was great! I shared it on my blog with a link back to you!
It made my anniversary yummy Thanks!!
Shawn
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
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Jenny
Back in the old days, before microwave ovens came into the home, baking in the oven was the only way to bake potatoes. Because we were essentially poor, my mother would not waste foil on mere potatoes, so the first time I saw a foil-wrapped baked potato was when I was in my late teens and went to a restaurant with a date. She also wouldn’t brush them with oil or sprinkle them with salt unless there was company coming. In the winter, we had baked potatoes on an average of three days a week, because it was nice to have the oven on. I haven’t done potatoes in the oven for years, because I don’t tend to plan ahead that far, but I’m thinking tomorrow for lunch I’ll do them this way. Thanks for reminding me!
Happy
These were amazing!~
sunny
For a change of pace, I sometimes like butter, s & p, and a small dollop of Marie’s Blue Cheese ( or Super Blue ) salad dressing.
Haley H.
I eat mine with butter, sour cream, shredded colby-jack cheese and cover it in A1 Steak Sauce 🙂
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Tracey
I like my baked potato with lots of butter, a little sour cream, some Johnny seasoning salt and shredded cheddar cheese…NUMMY!
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I want to get one of these, but my girlfriend won’t let
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Rhea
I saute onions, garlic, & peppers in a lil’ butter. Add ham and turkey to the potatoe topped with the sauted combo and cheese of your choice. Put back in the oven til cheese is melted and golden brown. Sour cream if you please! A meal all by itself!
YummY!
Marilyn
I love with butter, sour cream, and Cavendars Greek Seasoning,oh so good! Years ago used to always have a crab and cheddar tater, with sour crew of course.
marynell
While potatoes bake, brown some ground beef and onion. Set aside. Scrape baked potato out of skin; add a little butter. Mix meat and potato, stuff skins, grated cheese on top. Under broiler to melt cheese. With vegetable and salad makes great inexpensive meal.
Madonna
Hey! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this page to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
Cheryl
I love my baked taters with a drizzle of my current fav low-cal, fat-free, or sugar-free salad dressing such as raspberry vinagrette, balsamic vinagrette, Italian, etc. All good. And a big cut down of calories with lots of flavor. Yummy!
Connie
Ranch dressing as a topper…yum
Heidi
I do a mixture of a canned tuna, leek, paprika, garlic flavored cream cheese, salt and black pepper. Its good or just plain butter will do 🙂
Love your ideas!
Shawn
Thanks Heidi! That combo sounds very tasty! YUM!
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