Basics: Baked Potatoes

When I was 18, I got a job bartending at the Nickerson Inn in Pentwater Michigan.  It was a great place. Great food and a relaxed atmosphere that is missing from modern restaurants. If you had the opportunity to eat and/or stay there before it burned down in 2007, well you were lucky. Along with being a great place to eat, it was also a pretty good place to work.  The only problem was that the dining room was so small, that they did not have enough people to keep me busy bartending.  So to get their money’s worth, they had me became a prep chef.  I was responsible for the dinner rolls, dicing vegetables, preping the stations and baking the potatoes.  My family and friends always noted that the baked potatoes there were the best.  Everyone wanted to know how to make potatoes that are perfectly cooked inside but have crispy skin.  Today I am going to show you how to make the perfect restaurant potatoes.

Baked Potato

I know it sounds simple but the basic baked potato was one of the most asked about recipes that I have received.  To get a nice crispy skin and perfect fluffy inside is hard for many.

Ingredients:

  • Large baking potatoes
  • Olive Oil
  • Coarse Salt (Sea Salt or Kosher, I prefer a coarse sea salt, but use whatever you have in the pantry)

Clean the potatoes with either a vegetable brush or even the rough side of a new kitchen sponge. 

Fresh Potatoes Cleaned Potatos

Once you have the potatoes cleaned cover them with Olive Oil and rub it in.  Then Coat with the salt. 

Potato with Oil Salted Potato

Once the potatoes are salted put them in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender.

Baked potatos

Thats it.  Makes a perfect baked potato every time.  Who knew a perfect baked potato could be so easy.

Rex

Rex is an avid griller, barbecuer and bacon enthusiast. He is the Pitmaster for the Rex BBQ competition team. Rex was also featured on the TV show American Grilled. If you have any questions or wish to have Rex decode your favorite dish, click on the ASK REX link in the menu above.

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