The humble baked potato

[Morning Glory]

Who doesn't love a baked potato? OK, I suppose there are some people (please put your hand up now and say why). But they are quite delicious. Something happens in the oven when you bake potatoes in the skin so that they have a certain sweetness. Is it that the starch is converted into sugar?

Well, I love them and what is more they aren't too calorific unless you pile butter and/or cheese on top. So how do you cook your baked potatoes? Do you use the microwave to partly cook them first? Do you rub oil into the skin? And what do you put on top?

 

[medtran49]

We usually cook them in the microwave, but sometimes in the oven, and sometimes both when we make twice baked potatoes, which we'll be having tomorrow. I stick with the classics, butter, sour cream, sometimes cheese and bacon. Craig's been known to use chili and sour cream when we're having stuffed potatoes as a meal.

Long ago, the mall closest to where we lived and worked had a baked potato restaurant in the food court and they had all kinds of toppings, including a seafood newburg type topping. It was quite a popular lunch spot.

 

[rascal]

I lightly oil with e.v oil. Prick the skin half a dozen times then nuke. Or I do hasselback in the oven. Or twice fried, my grandkids fave. My mash is full,of butter cheese and cream, it's real good. Never any left.

Russ

 

[Karen W]

Nuked and/or baked.

Growing up, my grandmother made baked potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, topped with sour cream and chives. I still enjoy them that way. And, stuffed with broccoli and cheddar cheese, chili, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Almost anything goes. There's a jazz place called The Baked Potato that serves their spuds stuffed with various fillings.

Had & shared these Mediterranean Loaded Stuffed Potatoes recently in the dinner thread.

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-loaded-baked-potato-recipe/

And, spinach, onion and feta stuffed spud.

 

[Yorky]

I usually give them 2 minutes per potato (medium size) in the microwave then into the oven (halogen now, gas previously) brushed with olive oil and maybe sprinkled with sea salt.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I seldom eat baked potatoes. I like them mashed or home fries.

 

[rascal]

Karen just reminded me, I sometimes nuke then cut in half longways, then I take the insides out and fill it with mashed sweet tatters. We call them kumara here. Mashed with cheese and bacon and spring onions. Then back in oven until serving.

Russ

 

[Yorky]

I either eat them "as is" with butter and salt....

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Or halve them, remove the white potato, mash it with other foods (e.g. cheese, chillis, coriander, puree, onion, garlic, ginger, etc) return it to the skin then grill.

 

[Yorky]

And hasslebacks of course......

 

[Yorky]

I believe that it was a CookingBites member who recommended halving the potato prior to baking. An interesting alternative.

 

[Yorky]

I'm not sure where I obtained the recipe but it was initially penned by a Chef from The Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay. It's basically vegetable samosa filling in the potato half skins (deep fried if wished).

 

[epicuric]

I don’t often eat jacket potatoes, but this has become my default method of producing perfect mash - peeling off the skin and putting them through a ricer. A bit of a pain to do, but the results are worth it.

 

[Yorky]

I don’t often eat jacket potatoes, but this has become my default method of producing perfect mash - peeling off the skin and putting them through a ricer. A bit of a pain to do, but the results are worth it.

Do you ever leave the skin on? It doesn't look very pretty but the skin holds a lot of goodness.

 

[Yorky]

I remember as a kid on 5th November we would push scrubbed potatoes into the embers of the bonfire. After an hour or so we would retrieve them, dash off the ash and just eat them with nothing else but a little salt.

 

[Morning Glory]

We usually cook them in the microwave,

I find cooking in the microwave alone doesn't produce such a good result. Also the skin when cooked in the microwave is not crispy. But par-cooking in the microwave really speeds up the process.

seafood newburg type topping.

That sounds wonderful!

I don’t often eat jacket potatoes, but this has become my default method of producing perfect mash - peeling off the skin and putting them through a ricer. A bit of a pain to do, but the results are worth it.

Yes its a great way to make mash - its also a good way to make gnocchi.

I'm not sure where I obtained the recipe but it was initially penned by a Chef from The Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay. It's basically vegetable samosa filling in the potato half skins (deep fried if wished).

Is the recipe posted on the forum?