Julie Clark
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Oven Baked Potatoes
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This baked potato in the oven has crispy, salted skins and fluffy insides, just like a steakhouse potato. With only 5 minutes of prep and about an hour of bake time, it’s a simple method that lets the natural potato flavor shine.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jennifer says, “Honestly…..the best baked potato I’ve ever had. It was so freaking good. Like, seriously. And yes I used the bacon grease to coat the outside. Yummy!”
Oven baked potatoes are delicious with our spinach artichoke dip served on top.
The secret to the best oven baked potatoes.
Ever wondered how steakhouses manage to serve up those perfectly crispy-skinned, fluffy-on-the-inside baked potatoes? With this guide on steakhouse baked potatoes in the oven, you’ll realize that achieving the best baked potato at home is not only doable but remarkably simple.
The secret? It’s all in the choice of potato and the baking technique.
For the perfect oven baked potato, you need to start with the best potato for baking. Russet potatoes are the best for baking since they are a high starch potato with a light, mealy texture.. And if you can find a Idaho potatoes? Even better.
If you are fixing bacon as a loaded baked potato topping, cook it in advance and rub bacon grease on the outside of the potato rather than oil. It’s amazing!
An alternative is to use coconut oil or butter for rubbing on the outside. Each fat gives just a little bit of a different flavor.
Try a few of our favorite potato recipes: potato skins, potato cakes and potatoes romanoff.
Enjoy! -Julie
Oven Baked Potatoes
Wondering how restaurants get those perfect potatoes? Here’s the hints on how to make the best oven baked potatoes with salty, crispy skin and fluffy potato inside.
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large Russet potatoes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Pierce the potato 2-3 times with a fork.* 4 large Russet potatoes
- Rub oil all over the potatoes (or choose one of the other options above to rub on the outside). ¼ cup olive oil
- Rub salt all over the potatoes. Choose coarse sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. 1 tablespoon salt
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on how large the potatoes are. The potato should be tender inside if you poke a fork into it.
Video
Notes
- The purpose behind piercing a potato with a fork is to let the steam escape and prevent the potatoes from exploding while baking. I’ve never had a potato explode on me. But…for safety, pierce the potatoes.
- Serve with butter, cheese, chives, sour cream and all of your favorite toppings!
- The calories shown are based on one potato with no toppings, but all potatoes are a different size. To get an exact calorie count, weigh the potato and search google for the amount of calories that size potato. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1762mg | Potassium: 1538mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3.3mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to bake potatoes in foil or not?
You will often see oven baked potato recipes that wrap a potato in foil. Although this works, we don’t believe this is best. The potato actually gets steamed and the skin will not get crispy if it is baked wrapped in foil. For that reason, we say no foil is best! All you need is that oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper if you’d like.
Do I have to poke holes in potatoes before baking?
The purpose behind piercing a potato with a fork or sharp knife is to let the steam escape and prevent the potatoes from exploding while baking. I’ll be honest that I don’t always poke the potatoes before I bake them. I’ve never had a potato explode on me. But…for safety, I do recommend piercing the potatoes.
What goes good with baked potatoes?
This oven baked potato recipe goes great with just about any main dish, but we especially love spuds with ham, roast beef, pulled pork and steak.
How long to bake a large baked potato?
I like to bake potatoes at 425ºF. It generally takes a large Russet potato about 45 minutes to become tender, but the exact timing will depend on the size of the potatoes. Plan for at least an hour, but check the potato at 45 minutes. Larger potatoes will take longer.
What should the internal temperature of a baked potato be?
According to the Idaho Potato Commission, the perfect baked potato will be 210º Fahrenheit inside. An instant-read thermometer is perfect for testing this.
Baked Potato Topping Ideas
Salt-crusted oven baked potato bars are a fun idea for a party. Here’s some potato toppings ideas other than traditional compound butters, cheddar cheese, sour cream and scallions:
- Leftover Chili
- Broccoli cheddar soup
- Pizza potatoes
- Taco meat
- Blender salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Guacamole
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (don’t knock it until you try it!)
Try this method with our oven baked sweet potato recipe. You may also love our air fryer baked potatoes and Instant Pot baked potatoes.
Serve these classic oven baked potatoes alongside our corn casserole for a delicious meal.
Never make baked potatoes any other way! For me, they are part of a very easy dinner: baked potatoes, meatloaf and acorn squash – all baked in the oven all at the same time and you have minimal cleanup!😋
Yum! This recipe looks so simple yet absolutely delicious. I love how you’ve included tips for getting the perfect crispy skin and fluffy interior—it’s such a game-changer.
I can’t wait to try this out for dinner!
I was out of olive oil and used sesame oil. The potatoes came out great, the internal temp was 208, I usually wait until 212 but they really turned out well! No more aluminum foil!!!
Just wanted to express my gratitude for including the measurements in the steps! Super handy!
I cook potaoes same way you instruct but also use aluminum spud nails or kabob skewers so ensure the middle gets cooked.
I have had a potato burst because I forgot to poke it. What a mess!
My fave topping is small curd cottage cheese…lots of pepper….as a kid I’d put that in my mashed potatoes it drove my mom crazy 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Baking jumbo russet potatoes at the moment. Perfect side dish to teriyaki pork tenderloin.
When I was a kid, we would dig a hole in the dirt outside, place some sticks in the hole and light them on fire. When the fire was almoust out, we would place some Maine potatoes, over the charcoal cover with leaves and a sand topping and wait, wait, wait. When we uncovered the mess. The potatoes were black on the outside but delicious on the inside. It was a sight to see all us kids eating with black hands and face from the charcoal skins and we loved it.
Wife and I love this recipe. We will never use the foil method again, the skin comes out crispy and tasteing great. We use Montreal Steak Seasoning instead of salt.
As a potato lover, I’m not sure why anyone would ever try oven baked potatoes anywhere else!
My family loves the taste of these potatoes so much it is now in our regular dinner menu. We add avocados (and ,or guacamole) salsa, shredded cheese and whatever else you can think of and have just potatoes and mega fixings for dinner!
Thank you they were perfect!!
I just bought some HUGE russet potatoes on a whim to bake. Went online to double check temp. I inserted steel rods – usually reserved for bbq skewers (because my mom told me years ago that it helped cut back on baking time). After reading some of the counts, I really went out on a limb and smeared mine with truffle oil and Montreal seasoning. OMG! They have only been in over 30 min now, the house smells great and my husband can’t wait! P.S. American Heart Assoc says stay away fr Coconut oil for cooking, and just apply it… Read more »