This is a step by step guide on how to make a baked potato, a steakhouse-style baked potato.  This is the best baked potato recipe and it will show you how to get that fluffy inside and the crispy, salty, potato skin you love on the outside.

Baked Potato:

Here’s a little background on potatoes is you’re at all interested. Potatoes are the 4th largest food crop following rice, wheat, and corn.  It’s believed that the Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around 8000 BC to 5000 BC.

I grew up in Idaho on a farm and most years we had potatoes in our fields.  Idaho Potatoes have been an inexpensive staple in my diet my entire life.  I love potatoes because they’re one of the most diverse vegetables and can be made dozens and dozens of ways.  Did you know there is even an Idaho Potato Council? Yes friends, in Idaho, potatoes are kind of a big deal.  I look forward to sharing some of my family favorite potato recipes with you!

Potatoes first came to Idaho by way of Mormon Pioneers.  The Mormon Pioneers migrated north from Utah and potatoes are one of the first crops planted.  Potatoes thrive particularly well in Eastern and Southern Idaho because of the Volcanic Ash Soil.  Potatoes love to be well watered but planted in soil that drains really well. The soil in much of Idaho are the ideal conditions for growing potatoes.  From this almost accidental beginning, Idaho farmers set out and on a path to dominate the Potato markets in the United States.

There are more than 200 potatoes sold in the United State.  Russett Burbank Potatoes are the most popular.  Steakhouse Baked potatoes are usually the Russett variety of potatoes and French fries are made out of Russett Potatoes too. They are the most inexpensive and widely used variety of potato.

Here are a few I’ve posted already.  Let me know what you think!

Creamy Potato and Broccoli Cheese Soup

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Herb Roasted Potatoes

 

 

 

Cooking baked potatoes, or this could even be considered roasting baked potatoes, is easy and with just a few tips and tricks, you will be able to replicate the best baked potato. Baked potato oven is the easiest way to get the fluffy, flaky inside and the chewy potato skin you’re looking for.  When I’m baking potatoes, I always like to throw in a few extra.  This method is the best way to bake a potato and is the perfect start to so many other potato recipes. Here are a few tips on how to make baked potatoes.

Tips on How To Bake A Potato:

• Find potatoes that are free from any bruises or large blemishes.
• If you have some potatoes with a soft spot or a white, fungus looking area, just cut it off until you have fresh white coloring.  You can use potatoes that are less than perfect as a baking potato.  If I have potatoes with a soft spot or a blemish, I’ll usually use them in a hash brown or another recipe where the potato needs to be cut up.
• Wash the potatoes off.  They are grown in the ground and usually have dirt on them.  If the farmers washed the potatoes, it would scar the outside of potatoes and they would have a much shorter shelf life.  The potatoes in the store can be anywhere from a couple weeks since harvest, up to a year from harvest.
• Using your hands, rub the potato under water and rub briskly until all the dirt is off.  You can also use a scrub brush to get into the “eyes” of the potato.
• Use a fork and poke holes, about a 1/2″ deep into the skins of the potato. When the potato bakes, there is steam that builds up and needs to escape.  If you don’t poke the potato, your potatoes might explode due to built up steam inside while cooking.
• Put the potatoes in a large ziplock bag.  Pour 3-4 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I like to use Avocado Oil) onto the potatoes.  Seal the bag and roll the potatoes around inside the bag until all the potatoes are covered in oil.
• Pour to potatoes onto a 9 by 13″ baking dish.  You can also use a cookie sheet with parchment or aluminum foil on it.
• Sprinkle Sea Salt on the potatoes, be sure to cover all sides of the potato.
• Bake in a 400-degree oven for 50-60 minutes.
• You will know when the potatoes are done baking when you can stick a fork in the potato and it’s soft inside.  You won’t be able to pick the potato up or feel any hard, uncooked inside. Take out of the oven.
• Let the potatoes cool for about 5 minutes until you don’t risk burning yourself.  Make a slice down the top of the potato and using 2 forks, fluff the inside of the potato and add your favorite potato toppings! Enjoy!

 

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