How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato Recipe

Crispy skin coated in butter & sea salt, this fluffy baked potato is the perfect dinner recipe! Add toppings to make it a loaded potato!

Dinnertime can be a little tricky around here with a vegetarian (my oldest son) and a meat-eater (my youngest son) and me (who will eat anything) all living together. To accommodate the various likes of food, I try to find recipes that can meet the needs of everyone.

Recipe “bars” are always a good option because each person can add the ingredients they like. In the past, I have made taco bars, nacho bars, and most recently a baked potato bar. BUT, I had yet to master the art of the perfect baked potato. AND I’m embarrassed to say that I had been microwaving them in the past, which is a method that you can get by with, but it really doesn’t honor the flavor of a nicely baked potato. It’s okay, I’ve learned my lesson.

So, before baked potato night a few weeks ago, I turned to the internet to research good baked potato recipes to try. And I found the PERFECT one by the lovely Gimme Some Oven blog and changed it up just a tiny bit. My kids and I fell in love with this recipe and they now ask for it every week (sometimes twice a week). It’s our new favorite dinner recipe and it is probably the least expensive one to buy ingredients for to boot.

I typically make 6-8 large baked potatoes so that we have leftovers the next day (in this case, the microwave is allowed for reheating) and they taste just as good as right out of the oven.

The secret to the success of this baked potato is twice baking it and coating the skins with coarse sea salt and butter (or olive oil), which you will see in the recipe instructions. I promise, it isn’t a nuisance baking them twice, it’s easy and totally worth the extra step for a crispy potato skin and flavorful and fluffy on the inside.

With a crispy skin coated in butter and sea salt, this flavorful and fluffy baked potato is the perfect dinner recipe for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike! Top with butter, salt & pepper, sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh chives, and bacon bits to make it a loaded potato!

Now, let’s get down to the recipe!

The Perfect Baked Potato

Ingredients:

for potato:

• 6-8 medium-to-large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean of any dirt
• 1–2 teaspoons melted butter (or olive oil)
• coarse sea salt

optional toppings:

• butter
• salt & pepper
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• fresh chives
• bacon bits

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450°F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil (or a Silpat), and if you happen to own a wire cooling rack, place it on top of the baking sheet.
2. Using a large fork, poke the potato at least 10 times on all sides. Place the potato on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
4. Brush with butter (or olive oil). Using a pastry brush, brush the outside of the potato with melted butter or olive oil until it is completely coated on all sides.  Sprinkle the potato with a generous amount of coarse sea salt, and place the potato back on the baking sheet reverse-side-up, so that it can cook evenly on both sides.
5. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the potato is soft when squeezed with an oven mitt.
6. When potatoes are done, using a small paring knife to slice halfway through the potato lengthwise, then give it a gentle squeeze to open.
7. Serve immediately with your desired toppings!

Print the recipe using the card below:

The Perfect Baked Potato Recipe

Yield: 6 -8 servings

Prep Time: 2 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

With a crispy skin coated in butter and sea salt, this flavorful and fluffy baked potato is the perfect dinner recipe for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike! Top with butter, salt & pepper, sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh chives, and bacon bits to make it a loaded potato!

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Ingredients

for potato:

• 6-8 medium-to-large Russet potatoes scrubbed clean of any dirt
• 1 –2 teaspoons melted butter or olive oil
• coarse sea salt

optional toppings:

• butter
• salt & pepper
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• fresh chives
• bacon bits

Instructions 

• Pre-heat oven to 450°F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil (or a Silpat), and if you happen to own a wire cooling rack, place it on top of the baking sheet.
• Using a large fork, poke the potato at least 10 times on all sides. Place the potato on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
• Brush with butter (or olive oil). Using a pastry brush, brush the outside of the potato with melted butter or olive oil until it is completely coated on all sides.  Sprinkle the potato with a generous amount of coarse sea salt, and place the potato back on the baking sheet reverse-side-up, so that it can cook evenly on both sides.
• Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until the potato is soft when squeezed with an oven mitt.
• When potatoes are done, using a small paring knife to slice halfway through the potato lengthwise, then give it a gentle squeeze to open.
• Serve immediately with your desired toppings!

Amy @ Mom Spark

Founder of Mom Spark – a lifestyle blog for moms.