Baked Potatoes
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Crispy and salty on the outside and fluffy in the middle, these are perfect baked potatoes.
Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside — that’s the hallmark of the perfect baked potato. When slit open, its steaming interior becomes the ultimate base for decadent toppings, from classic butter and sour cream to ranch dressing to crumbled bacon. While baking potatoes is largely hands-off, there are endless opinions on the best way to go about it. My approach is simple. I don’t wrap them in foil or lay them on a bed of salt. And I certainly don’t pre-cook them in the microwave. A generous rub of oil, a sprinkle of salt, and an hour in a 400°F-oven does the trick. No fuss, no muss, and you get baked potatoes that are flawlessly tender on the inside with a beautifully crispy, seasoned skin.
In the mood for sweet potatoes instead? My baked sweet potatoes recipe use a similar method, but with a higher temperature to bring out their natural caramelized sweetness.
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Potatoes
- Russet potatoes – Also known as Idaho potatoes, russet are ideal for making baked potatoes. They are large with a long oval shape and brown skin. Their flesh is starchy, so they become fluffy and flaky when cooked. In addition to baked potatoes, they’re ideal for making mashed potatoes, french fries, and potato latkes. Prior to cooking, the potatoes should be scrubbed clean of any dirt, rinsed, and dried.
- Salt – Enhances the natural flavor of the potatoes and adds a deliciously seasoned, crispy skin.
- Oil – Coats the potatoes to create that perfect golden, crispy exterior. I use vegetable oil but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Should You Wrap Potatoes in Foil?
Nope. Wrapping the potatoes in foil helps retain moisture, which results in steamed rather than baked potatoes. The interior of a foil-wrapped baked potato is wetter and less fluffy, and the skin isn’t crispy. Wrapping adds an extra step and results in inferior baked potatoes, especially if you enjoy eating the crispy skin, so don’t do it!
To Prick or Not To Prick?
It’s up to you. Pricking potatoes with a fork prior to cooking supposedly prevents steam from building up inside them as they bake, which can make them explode in the oven. However, this theory is highly debatable. I don’t prick my potatoes, and in all my years of cooking, I have never had one explode in the oven. Most people prick their potatoes because that’s what their mothers did. If you want to prick, there’s no harm in it; it just adds an extra step.
How To Bake A Potato
Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Directly on the baking sheet, rub the potatoes with the oil and sprinkle all over with the salt.
Bake until tender when pierced in the center with a sharp knife (or until the center of the largest potato registers 205°F to 210°F), 60 to 70 minutes. You can also squeeze the potatoes to see if they are soft (be careful; they’re hot!).
Let the potatoes sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Cut a slit down the center of each potato and serve with toppings of choice.
Baked Potato Toppings
Now that you know how to make the perfect baked potato, try topping it with:
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Bacon
- Chives or scallions
- Roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts
- Shredded cheese, like Monterey Jack, cheddar, blue cheese crumbles, Parmesan, or Gruyere
- Beef chili or turkey chili
- Taco filling
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Baked Potatoes
Crispy and salty on the outside and fluffy in the middle, these are perfect baked potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean of dirt, rinsed and dried
- 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Prick each potato a few times all over with a fork, if you like (see note). Directly on the baking sheet, rub the potatoes with the oil and sprinkle all over with the salt. Bake until tender when pierced in the center with a sharp knife (or until the center of the largest potato registers 205°F to 210°F), 60 to 70 minutes. You can also squeeze the potatoes to see if they are soft (be careful; they're hot!). Let sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then cut a slit down the center of each potato and serve with toppings of choice.
- Note: Conventional wisdom says that prior to baking, you have to prick potatoes with a fork a few times to allow steam to escape during baking. The theory is that if you don’t prick the potato, the steam can build up under the skin and cause the potato to explode in the oven. I don't prick my potatoes and have never had a potato explosion, but pricking won't harm the potatoes, so go ahead and prick them as insurance, if you like.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: 1 potato
- Calories: 313
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 67 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Sodium: 309 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Delicious!! My women’s Bible study group was having a Potato Buffet with a variety of toppings…I was to bring baked potatoes for 30. About three/four hours before class, I put the potatoes in to bake. While they were cooking, I got out a large ice chest and lined it with bath towels. Once the potatoes were done, they were quickly individually wrapped in foil and placed in the ice chest. After putting another layer of bath towels on top, the lid was closed. The potatoes stayed piping hot until we were ready to eat and were amazingly tender! (The skin is no longer crispy, but I promise is SO delicious!) This was such a hit, I now do this for easy, hassel-free family gatherings. When preparing lunch for just my dad and me, I simply bake the potatoes about two hours early, wrap each one separately in foil, wrap a small towel around them …then place inside a small insulated lunch bag. Thanks again, Jenn, for generously sharing your talents and recipes with all of us!!
Jenn,
I just read your baked potato recipe. My recipe is exactly the same as your in the prep., but the only difference is that I cook my potatoes at 500 for a full hour. The outside of the potato is really crispy and the inside is almost like mashed potatoes. Wonderful. I do not prick my potatoes either & I have never had a potato explode on me either. 500 sounds so high, but somehow it works perfectly.
I have made so many of your recipes, because I know they will be great in advance.
Vicki Dillon
There is nothing like a perfectly cooked baked potato-butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. I’ve recently become a convert to using my air fryer…it’s a revelation! Perfectly cooked crispy skin in 40 minutes with this same recipe.
My favorite baked potato toppings, in order of application: salt & pepper, butter, grated cheese, sautéed onions & mushrooms, , crumbled bacon, lightly steamed broccoli, with homemade ranch dressing drizzled over all. One of my favorite meals ever.
Stop!!!! That sounds amazing and I agree with your order.
Hi Jen. I love every recipe I’ve tried.
Last week my husband put the potatoes in and didn’t prick them. 50 minutes later we hear the pop! I knew immediately because it’s happen to me, before I was married (44 years ago). My daughter and her fiancé were here too, and they all claimed to never prick it. I always have, but didn’t realize they weren’t. Needless to say, it was a mess, and I now have a spanking clean oven, my husband cleaned it, his mess after all!
Ugh — sounds like a mess!! I know how you’ll be handling them next time…😄
I’ve had a potatoe explode in the oven. I can confirm it’s not a silly old wives tale.
Perfect every time.
I’m in the poke ’em group. If you ever have to try to clean burnt-on mashed potato off the walls ceiling and door of your oven, you’ll poke ’em from that day forward. 🙂
I can attest that Greg is right. For the first half 30+ years of my life I never had a potato explode in the oven, and for the next 40+ years after that, I’ve ALWAYS forked them. It isn’t worth the risk of such a cleanup chore!
I love all of Jenn’s recipes! I printed the recipe and separately, the section on toppings. My husband asked me to make this asap. I did, with roasted sprouts (I’m on Keto) AND bacon . It was delicious!
I will never make baked potatoes another way. Jenn, I so enjoy your recipes. They turn out perfect every time!
Jane
Love your recipe! Great tasting potatoes! I always pricked my potatoes until one time i didn’t and that was the time they exploded. It was such a mess. Now I always prick them.
I love this recipe. The family loved this t! Delicious
Thank you