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The Ultimate Baked Potato

The Ultimate Baked Potato

Active time: 10 min
Total time: 75 min
Serves: 4
These are the best baked potatoes you will every have — end of story!

Steps

1

Prepping & Baking the Potato

Prepping & Baking the Potato

Ingredients

  • 4 russet potatoes (approx 2½ lb), scrubbed clean
  • oil, for rubbing
  • coarse sea salt (such as Fleur de sel or Maldon)
  • freshly ground black pepper
To start, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Note: For even crispier skin, the potatoes can be cooked in a 450°F oven. Just keep an eye on them, as the cooking time may be a bit less. Next, poke the potatoes all over with a fork and rub with oil; use an oil with a high smoke point; season generously with salt and pepper. Note: Feel free to experiment with other spices, if desired. To bake the potatoes, place them directly on the oven rack and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a knife goes in very easily. When ready, the inside should be soft, yet the skin should nice and crisp.
2

Garnishing & Serving the Baked Potato

Garnishing & Serving the Baked Potato

Ingredients

  • sea salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • non-diary butter, to taste
  • Cashew Sour Cream, to taste
  • freshly minced chives or green onions, to taste
To garnish the potato, carefully cut open each potato; season with salt and pepper and top with your favorite toppings. The cashew cream goes particularly well with these potatoes. Note: For a thicker "sour cream" texture, do not add as much liquid to the Cashew Sour Cream recipe. Serve immediately. These potatoes are so satisfying that they can be served as a main meal with a nice salad.

9 Comments

  • Cenk G
    Cenk G •
    Hi, I come across recipes such as this one where olive oil is used for cooking (here in a 400-450°F oven) although it is known for its low smoke point and not recommended for high temperature cooking (as also taught in the Rouxbe Professional Cooking program). Could you please clarify this point? Thanks.
    Reply
  • Kirk B
    Kirk B •
    Hi Cenk and thanks for learning with Rouxbe. Great question - in general, vegetable-based oils have a higher smoke point than animal-based fats such as butter. I have attached a link below that outlines the differences between various oils/smoke points, etc. I hope this helps. Thanks again and enjoy your cooking! Chef Kirk. https://www.thespruce.com/cooking-oil-smoke-points-995464
    Reply
  • Rachel B
    Rachel B •
    That didn't really answer the question did it? The oven temp is too high for the olive oil's smoke point, unless we are missing something.
    Reply
  • Kirk B
    Kirk B •
    Hi Rachel and thanks for your comment. Extra Virgin Olive very well may not be able to withstand temps as high as 400 degrees. Perhaps, you can try a refined olive oil, or another oil, for a higher smoke point. Oils such as palm oil, avocado oil, mustard oil, peanut oil, etc have higher smoke tolerance - and then, evoo can be used to finish if that flavour is desired. The recipe can, in fact, be modified to reflect better practice…or desired outcome. I hope this helps. Thanks so much for engaging with Rouxbe. Chef Kirk
    Reply
  • Michael L
    Michael L •
    Good info! Thanks!
    Reply
  • Sunnie S
    Sunnie S •
    I've been guilty of cooking my baked potatoes in the microwave (because of how quick it is), but taking the time to bake them makes all the difference in the world! I used my counter-top toaster oven (with convection on). I also used peanut oil to coat the skins. The skin came out crispy and the inside of the potato was fluffy and delightful. The potato was also SO much more flavorful then when cooked in the microwave. Thank you Rouxbe!
    Reply
  • Char N
    Char N • Rouxbe Staff •
    Hi Sunnie--I will agree with you 100%. One thing you may want to do is batch cook the Russets to have on hand for dinners during the week. There is no comparison to true, baked potatoes. Your potatoes sound perfect. -Char
    Reply
  • Jack R
    Jack R •
    char for one jacket potatoe how much cashew sour cream should i top it with.
    Reply
  • Char N
    Char N • Rouxbe Staff •
    Hi Jack: that all depends on you--most people use the word "dollop," a casual, unmeasured topping. Generally, about two, heaping tablespoons. Enjoy the potato. Char
    Reply

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