Baked potatoes are the perfect dinner for when you cannot be bothered cooking, but there is nothing worse when this hearty meal comes out of the oven soggy and bland.
If you want your baked potatoes to be crispier and more flavourful then you need to draw out moisture while they are cooking and make sure steam is not making the potato skin mushy.
Jeanine, a cookbook author and creator of Love & Lemons, has shared that the best way to ensure your potatoes come out “perfect” is to make sure you are sprinkling them with salt.
She said: “This salt-crusted baked potato recipe changed everything for me. In it, the potato becomes the main event.
“Don’t get me wrong, a little butter or sour cream goes a long way here, but the potatoes come out of the oven with perfectly crispy, flavorful skins and creamy, piping hot interiors that taste delicious as they are.”
Potatoes already have a lot of water in them so using salt draws out some of the moisture and reduces steam around the surface to help them become crispy.
Not only does salt improve the texture of baked potatoes but will also make them even more delicious as it will draw out the natural flavours in the potato to make it taste richer.
The best way to make a baked potato
To begin, preheat the oven to 200C and then line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Do not wrap the potato in tin foil as steam will not be able to escape and there is more chance of your baked potato exploding while cooking in the oven.
Scrub the potatoes white washing them in the sink, then pat them dry with a paper towel. Use a fork to poke a lot of holes in the surface to allow steam to escape.
Then rub the potatoes all over with olive oil and sprinkle a liberal amount of salt over them.
Jeanine said: “Coating the spuds in salt makes the skins extra-crispy and flavorful. Plus, with a bit of the salty skin in each bite, you won’t need to worry about seasoning the potato flesh as you eat.”
Cook in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes until the skin is crispy, and you can easily pierce the insides with a fork.
How long it takes to cook a baked potato will depend on how big the potato is and what type of oven you have so do not worry if it takes longer.
Once ready, take out the oven, cut them open and add your favourite toppings to them, such as cheese, baked beans or sour cream.
Your baked potato will be perfectly crispy and taste incredible, thanks to this simple cooking method.
