To me, the perfect baked potato has crisp skin on the outside and a light, fluffy interior. This recipe ensures that you achieve both. I don’t use aluminum foil to wrap my potatoes because it changes the texture and flavor of the potato. It’s more like steaming than baking the potato.
When you bake a potato using this recipe, you’ll definitely want to eat the skin. The addition of olive oil and salt makes the skin crisp and flavorful and becomes my favorite part of the potato. It’s beneficial to use homegrown or organic potatoes, especially if you enjoy eating the skin. Potatoes are on the “dirty dozen” list of food that is best to buy organic. The Environmental Working Group says that, “the average potato has more pesticides by weight than any other food.”EWG So, get yourself some organic potatoes and chow down pesticide free!
- 4 organic russet potatoes
- extra-virgin olive oil
- coarse unrefined sea salt
- Place the oven rack on the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Rinse and scrub the potatoes under cold running water.
- Dry the potatoes with a clean towel.
- Remove any discolored spots with the tip of a knife.
- Rub the outside of each potato with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with coarse unrefined sea salt.
- Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack.
- Bake for 60 minutes or until the internal temperature is 210 degrees F.
- Slice open down the middle, fluff with a fork, and add pastured butter and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your perfect baked potato!
*When baking with Russet potatoes, you don’t need to poke holes in the potato before baking because Russets won’t explode in the oven like other varieties.
*If you’re baking really large or extra small potatoes, you may need to extend or decrease the cooking time by up to 15 minutes.
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