Simple tip for baked potatoes !

[Kemal]

When I roast potatoes in an oven, I simply like to cut them in half and rub them with some olive oil and butter. Before I do this I make a criss cross pattern with a sharp knife. I try not to cut too deep, but I make sure to cut deep enough so that the pattern comes out. I usually just season it with some salt and pepper and rub it with a garlic clove cut in half. I repeat this butter/oil/season/garlic process 3 times in a duration of 1 hour. The oven is usually around 190 celsius. The end result is a great looking, tasty yet simple side dish worthy of any steak !

[kseiverd]

Maybe not a prepartion, but always POKE them before they go into oven. We NEVER did this when I was growing up & NEVER had one explode. BUT all ya need is for that to happen ONCE to make you a believer.

Once reached in with mitt to give a potato a little squeeze to see if it was done... it HAD been poked. The slightest squeeze made EVERYTHING inside the skin burst out all over inside of oven??

[rawrpie]

Thanks for the tips! No idea that could even happen. I usually just go with Evoo and salt. Definitely will try these out next time I roast some potatoes.

[Bacardi1]

Towards the end of that hour's duration, aren't the potato halves already cooked through & thus rather soft to be able to do any "rubbing" with seasonings?

[LP808]

Not necessarily. My mother does the same thing, and hers come out crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. She peels her potatoes though. I cannot get mine to be crisp all around skin on.

[Kemal]

true, although the skin gives it that classic potato smell the skin does not get crispy

[tim irvine]

That sounds delicious. My old standard is to skewer them on metal skewers, wash, salt them liberally while they are still wet, and bake at 425 F.

[nlgardener]

I skewer mine, too. Scub really well, dry and rub generously with olive oil, crust with coarse sea salt. Rotate about halfway through cooking directly on oven rack. Skin is as important as the inside. I like to cook them until the flesh is nice and fluffy.

[Dirtywextraolives]

I season mine the same as you, but have never skewered NOR poked them first. Bake for an hour at 350, maybe a touch longer if they are giant. Never had a problem, and they are always delicious.

[Kemal]

true dat :D

[jmcarthur8]

I never poked them (nor knew that it was done) until one rather large potato exploded in my oven while I was off doing something else. By the time I was back in the kitchen, it was a smoking charred mess all over the inside of the oven.
I'd rather take a minute to poke them these days than take a chance that I'll have to spend a half hour scraping out the oven.