A Perfectly Baked Potato

A Perfectly

Oven baking pro- duces light, ﬂuffy Baked Potato potatoes, while baking in foil or in the microwave can Piercing the outside before baking leave potatoes soggy. ensures a ﬂuffy inside

BY MOLLY STEVENS EENY, MEENY, MINEY, MO— content and will do in a pinch. Stay away PICK THE BEST POTATO from low-starch potatoes, also called Using the right variety of potato makes a waxy potatoes, which will end up soggy huge difference in the ﬂavor and texture and dense when baked. Don’t use pota- hen it comes to basic cooking of a baked potato. What you’re looking toes labeled Red Bliss, red, round red, or Wskills, baking a potato may be for is one with a high starch content, long white. right up there with boiling water. But un- often called a “mealy” potato. The starch- Look for skin that’s smooth and like the latter, an aura of mystery about ier the potato, the more the inside swells tight. Avoid potatoes with shriveled or how best to bake a potato persists. The and puffs up as it bakes, leaving it light, cracked skin or with soft, spongy spots. If ideal—a fluffy, light, and white center dry, and delicate. the eyes have sprouted, or if there are surrounded by a crisp, papery skin—isn’t Choose potatoes with these names green spots under the skin, the potato difﬁcult to achieve. In fact, the more you on the label: russet, russet Burbank, was improperly stored, and its quality work at making the best baked potato— or Idaho. Round white potatoes and yel- may have suffered. wrapping it in foil, impaling it with skew- low varieties such as Yellow Finn and Choose potatoes close in size so that ers, baking it on a bed of salt—the more Yukon Gold are considered all-purpose they’ll cook evenly. A russet generally 1 3 likely you are to come away disappointed. potatoes. They have a moderate starch weighs ⁄2 to ⁄4 pound—enough for one Photos: Susan Kahn

54 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1997 - 2007 The Taunton Press Twice-baked or two servings, depending on how you Potatoes won’t really bake in foil or prepare it. in the microwave. While both methods potatoes make The best seasons for russets are late may shorten cooking time, neither allows summer through winter, but modern moisture to escape. Foil traps the mois- a meal cultivation and storing methods en- ture so the potato steams rather than sure good-quality potatoes bakes, leaving the interior If you can’t serve baked potatoes year-round. dense and gummy. Like- right away, or if you want to dress Unless you have a root wise, the microwave keeps them up a bit, consider the classic cellar that holds food be- potatoes moist. twice-baked method. tween 45° and 50°F, plan Begin with a baked potato. to store your potatoes for OVEN TEMPERATURE Cut the cooked potato length- no more than a couple of CAN ADAPT TO THE wise in half or just cut off the weeks. They’re best kept REST OF THE MEAL top. Scoop out the flesh, away from light in a bas- You can bake potatoes at being careful not to scoop ket or bag that allows air 325° to 475°F; they’ll just so deeply that the jacket falls to circulate. Don’t store take more or less time. If apart. Use a food mill or potato them next to onions; side Poke small holes all over the you have a roast in the masher to mash the flesh—a by side, they shorten each potato to allow some mois- oven, simply bake your food processor or mixer would other’s shelf life. ture to escape. This makes the potatoes at the same tem- make it gluey—and add milk, potato’s flesh fluffy and dry. perature that the meat re- cream, butter, sour cream, WASH AND BAKE quires. The temperatures yogurt, cheese, olive oil, or any One of the joys of baking a and times in the chart be- combination of these to get a potato is the sheer simplicity of it. Your low are a guide. To test baked potatoes creamy, smooth consistency. only goal is to make sure the potato loses for doneness, squeeze them with an oven From there, use your imagina- enough moisture during cooking to leave mitt or kitchen towel. When they give tion to mix and match flavor- you with a light potato, not a soggy one. slightly and feel soft, they’re done. ings. Here are some of my All you really need to do is scrub the For best flavor and texture, serve favorite combinations: potato, pierce it, and bake it right on the the baked potato immediately. A per- • smoked trout, chopped rack of a hot oven. Stabbing the potato fectly baked potato won’t stay that way scallions, fresh dill, horse- several times with the tines of a fork be- for long. If allowed to sit, it will quickly radish, sour cream, and fore baking allows moisture to escape, go limp. capers; which gives you a light, dry interior. Lightly massage the potato just before • roasted garlic, goat cheese, Some cooks claim it’s better to pierce the cutting it open to loosen the inside, mak- fresh thyme, olive oil, and skin after 20 minutes of baking, but I ing it fluffier. Then slit the top and push black olives, with a topping of find that it makes no difference to the grated Parmesan; potato’s taste or texture. It is easier to TEMPERATURES AND TIMES • crabmeat, chives, sour cream, pierce a partially cooked potato, how- FOR BAKED POTATOES Cheddar cheese, corn, chopped ever, so you may want to try that method. For a medium-sized (8- to 10-ounce) potato, onion, and red pepper; While many cooks swear by skewering bake it at for • crumbled bacon, sautéed potatoes or nesting them on a bed of salt 325°F 1 hour and 30 minutes kale and leeks, minced garlic, as they bake, I don’t bother with either. 350°F 1 hour and 15 minutes milk, and caraway seed. Skewering the potato may shave about 375°F 1 hour And bake it again. 10 minutes off your baking time, so if 400°F 45 to 50 minutes Spoon the well-seasoned you’re in a rush, it might be the way to go. 425°F 40 to 45 minutes potato mixture back into the Laying potatoes on a bed of coarse salt jackets, mounding the filling will draw out excess moisture, but that’s on both ends to plump the flesh. Drop in without compressing it too much, only important if you’re using less starchy a pat of butter, sprinkle with salt and pep- top with grated cheese if you want potatoes that won’t dry out on their own. per, and grab a fork. Baked russets are a browned crust, and bake for If you like the potato skin crisp, leave notoriously thirsty and will soak up as 15 minutes at 375°F. These pota- it alone. If you like a softer, pliable jacket, much butter and sour cream as you want toes can be prepared ahead lightly rub the skin with a little olive oil, to use. I also like to top them with salsa, and refrigerated for a few butter, or lard before baking; this will also seasoned yogurt, or fresh vegetables. days, or even frozen. In add a little flavor to the potato. either case, allow 40 to Once the potatoes are in the oven, Molly Stevens keeps a ready store of russet 45 minutes to reheat cold there isn’t much to do except turn them potatoes in the root cellar at her home in potatoes. Serve one half as every 15 to 20 minutes to ensure that Vermont. She is a contributing editor for a side dish or a whole potato they bake evenly. Fine Cooking. • as a main course.