This recipe makes the Perfect Baked Potato every time. The skin is super crispy while the inside is soft and fluffy. Top it with all of your favorite toppings for a great side dish that everyone will love!
This is my go-to tried and true perfect baked potato recipe. You will love how crispy the skin is with an interior that is so soft and fluffy. I like to go all out by adding lots of toppings, making it a hearty and impressive dish that can easily be a meal in itself!
How to Make a Perfect Baked Potato:
- Scrub the potatoes clean making sure all of the dirt gets washed off. Dry the potato completely, you can start by towel drying them but allow some time for air drying as well, it's important that they are totally dry for the skin to get crispy.
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Use a fork to poke several holes in the skin, about ⅛" deep. This allows the insides to steam during baking, which makes them perfectly soft.
- Let your oven preheat completely, you want it to be very hot when the potatoes go in.
- Bake the potatoes directly on the rack. Doing this allows air to circulate around them and is important for crispy skin. Bake for 30 minutes and then rotate and continue baking for 30 minutes. Once you can gently squeeze the potato it is perfect. If you're baking more than 4 at a time they may require additional baking time, about 10-15 minutes.
Serve potatoes warm topped with your favorite toppings. A baked potato simply topped with butter and sour cream is perfectly delicious, but sometimes I like to go all out.
Optional Toppings for Baked Potatoes:
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped bacon
- Chopped green onions
- Chives
- Diced jalepeños
Can you Make Baked Potatoes in the Microwave?
If you're short on time a microwaved potato is actually pretty good. The texture will not be the same, but they are still quite tasty, especially if you add lots of toppings.
To microwave: Clean and dry the potato, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Poke several holes in the skin and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the potato, using oven mitts because it will be very hot, and microwave for another 5 minutes.
More Side Dish Recipes:
📖 RECIPE
Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes
- olive oil
- coarse salt
- butter and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes clean and let dry completely.
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Use a fork to poke several holes in the potato, about ⅛" deep.
- Place the potatoes directly on the rack in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flip and bake an additional 30 minutes until they are soft when gently squeezed.
- Serve warm topped with butter, sour cream, and any additional toppings you prefer.
Nutrition
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