How to Bake a Potato

4.38 from 8 votes

Potatoes are nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive. As they come from the oven, they're gluten-free, low-fat, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan.. Eat them plain or dress them up, there's just nothing quite as satisfying as a perfectly oven-baked potato.

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Total Time1 5

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 159kcal

Cost: $.61

Equipment

fork
paring knife

Ingredients

1 potato per person
1 teaspoon olive oil per potato
kosher salt
black pepper, ground

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F.
While waiting for the oven to reach temperature, wash the potato, scrubbing it well to remove any sediment and dirt.
With a paring knife, trim away protruding "eyes," and visible blemishes, if any.
Pat potato dry with a cloth or paper towel.
Using a fork, prick the potato all over, to create escapes for steam that will build up as the potato bakes. Failure to do this could create a mess in the oven as the potato will blow off steam breaking through its jacket.
Rub potato with olive oil, making sure it is liberally coated in oil.
Sprinkle oily potato liberally with salt and pepper.
Place potato directly on oven rack that is set to the middle of the oven.
Bake for 60 minutes. After 50 minutes, check for doneness by piercing the potato with a fork. The potato is done when its skin is dry and the inside feels completely soft when pierced, which is approximately 210 F. when using an instant-read food thermometer.
Optional: Serve with butter, sour cream, chives, cheese, bacon bits—all of your favorite toppings.

Notes

1. Russet potatoes, also known in the U.S. as Idaho potatoes, are ideal for baking. Their skin is thicker so they hold up well to baking. Their interior is starchy and sweet, yielding a fluffy, delicious result. You'll find russets from medium in size to jumbo, which makes them ideal as either a side dish or the main course.

2. Potato "eyes" are the buds for roots should that potato be planted for propagation. Sometimes the eyes begin to grow those roots while sitting in the pantry or another cool place. This is not a problem! If they're short and super immature just trim them flat with a paring knife. There is no need to dig out the eyes. If however, they've begun to grow into a tangled mess, that potato is too old for consumption and should be discarded (or planted?)

3. To reduce the baking time, microwave the potato for 3 to 4 minutes, just prior to placing it into the oven. Begin checking for doneness every 20 seconds. Expect a slightly less crisp result.

4. If you prefer a baked potato with a soft, rather than a crisp jacket, wrap it in aluminum foil before baking.

Nutrition