Perfect Baked Potatoes

Image from google

It's Spring-y Winter right now.

Which makes it kind of hard to decide what to have for dinner.

Sometimes I like to cook "weather" food.

You know;

• Soup in the Winter
• Ice cream in the Summer
• Fruit salad in the Spring
• Pumpkin dip in the Fall

But when the weather is one season in the morning and another in the afternoon, I sometimes get confused on what to fix!

Because it's been on the cooler side of Spring the last few days, I decided to fix the family baked potatoes for dinner tonight.

I really do like potatoes.

My boy cherub does not find them so amazing.

But that's ok -- there will be something different for dinner tomorrow.

Maybe he'll like it better!

Potatoes, though, I'm kind of picky about.

I like yummy potatoes.

Potatoes where I can eat the entire vegetable; skin and all!

I like my potatoes baked in the oven.

Not the microwave.

I like my potatoes crispy on the outside and soft and steamy on the inside.

Not dry and chalky on the outside

I like my potatoes cooked in the "raw."

Not wrapped in foil.

Potatoes wrapped in foil are basically steam cooked.

I like mine baked.

There's a difference to me!

Here's my tried and true way of baking potatoes.

Perfect Baked Potatoes

1 large russet potato per person
vegetable oil
sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take each potato and scrub it clean with a stiff brush and cold water.

Allow the potatoes to air dry.  Turn over to dry the underside too!  Not patted dry - really dry!  This way, they can hold the oil you're getting ready to rub all over them!

Once dry, take some oil in your hands (or vegetable shortening, which I use) and gently massage the oil all over the potato skin; careful not to miss any little spot.

Sprinkle each potato with the sea salt.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake for 60 minutes; adding at least 15 additional minutes for more than 4 potatoes.  (Obviously, cooking times depends on how large of potatoes you are cooking.)  If cooking more than 1 potato, try to purchase potatoes that are roughly the same size.  On that note, you are purchasing loose potatoes, by the pound, not a bag of potatoes -- those are for roasting, mashing, or scalloping!

Potatoes are done when they are crispy on the outside and have "give" when squeezed just a smidge.

Give a small cut down the middle and squeeze the ends together to crack the potato wide open to hold your soft butter, sour cream, grated cheese, and any other delicious topping!