Julie Clark
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Oven Baked Potatoes
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Master the art of the perfect oven baked potatoes! Dive into our guide on how to bake a potato in the oven, ensuring crispy skin and a fluffy interior every time.
Ever wondered how steakhouses manage to serve up those perfectly crispy-skinned, fluffy-on-the-inside baked potatoes? With our 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.
From choosing the right type of potato to prepping it for the oven, this recipe for oven baked potatoes has you covered. In just a few steps, you’ll be indulging in restaurant style baked potatoes that rival your favorite steakhouse.
About this Oven Baked Potatoes Recipe:
- Flavor: Potato. That’s what you’re going to taste. The oil on the skin and the salt only enhance the flavor.
- Texture: Oil makes the potato skins crispy, the perfect texture pairing to the fluffy potato inside, just like a steakhouse baked potato.
- Method: These potatoes bake in the oven. The time depends on the size of the potatoes, but plan for about 1 hour for them to bake.
We’re talking the best baked potatoes in the oven here today that takes just 5 minutes prep time.
What readers are saying:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jessica says, “So everyone knows I am not the “Betty Crocker” of my family, although my cooking skills are slowly improving since I have small children now….I made these potatoes exactly as your recipe and my mother in law said it was the best baked potato recipe she has ever had. No foil is the way to go! Thanks for the recipe & helping me score some points with the MIL haha!”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 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!”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Tim says, “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!”
What are the best potatoes for baking?
For the perfect oven baked potato, you need to start with the best potato for baking. Russet potatoes are the best for baking. And if you can find a Idaho potatoes? Even better.
As you remember from our ultimate potato guide that we shared last year, Russets are a high starch potato that when baked, lend a light, mealy texture.
How to Bake a Potato
If you love the restaurant-style, crispy skin potatoes, here’s 5 quick steps on how to make them:
- Scrub the potatoes to get off any dirt, then dry them with a kitchen towel.
- Pierce the potato 2-3 times with a fork or make a slit or two with a sharp knife.
- Rub olive oil all over the outside of the potatoes.
- Rub salt (or salt and pepper) on the outside of the potatoes. Be generous with both the oil and the salt. It’s what gives the potatoes that amazing flavor and makes you want to eat the skin.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper for easy cleanup) and bake in a preheated oven (425ºF) for about 50 minutes. We put our pan on the middle oven rack. The exact timing will depend on how large the potato is.
Pro Tip
If you are fixing bacon as a 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 several to find which one your family likes best on the oven baked potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to bake potatoes in foil or not?
You will often see 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!
Do I have to poke potatoes before baking?
The purpose behind piercing a potato with a fork 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 baked potato recipe goes great with just about any main dish, but we especially love potatoes 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 how large the potato is. Plan for at least an hour, but check the potato at 45 minutes. Poke the potato with a fork to ensure that the potato is soft inside.
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 Toppings
Because of the flavor of the olive oil and salt of the oven baked potatoes, I’m happy just topping the baked potato with butter and a little bit of fresh parsley. If I’m feeling fancy, I add sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives and bacon.
Baked Potato Bar Ideas
Loaded baked potato bars are a fun idea for a party. Here’s some toppings ideas other than traditional cheese, sour cream and onions:
- Leftover Chili
- Broccoli cheddar soup
- Pizza toppings
- Taco meat, black beans and cheese
- Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
- Avocado (Guacamole)
- Green onions
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (don’t knock it until you try it!)
- Cream Cheese
- Minced Garlic
- Or keep it simple and sprinkle kosher salt on top
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 potatoes alongside our corn casserole for a delicious meal.
Other Potato Recipes to Love
- mashed potato rolls
- oven baked cheesy potatoes
- mashed sweet potatoes
- sweet potato casserole
- roasted red potatoes
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
I had it in oven for 50-55 minutes and it wasn’t even close to being done. I got a brand new LG oven, I had it for hour n 20 minutes for best results. Thank you!
Thank you. I always baked in tin foil. This is like going from black and white tv to color. I made me one the other night. Can’t wait to make em for guests. Thanks again for great recipe.
Haven’t had a baked potato in quite a while. These were easy and delish! Thanks!
I made these last night, followed the recipe to the letter. My husband, myself and our friend all declared that these were the best baked potatoes we have ever had! This will be my “go to “ baked potatoes recipe from now on. Making again on Saturday for guests. Thank you for posting 😀
So everyone knows I am not the “Betty Crocker” of my family, although my cooking skills are slowly improving since I have small children now….I made these potatoes exactly as your recipe and my mother in law said it was the best baked potato she has ever had. No foil is the way to go! Thanks for the recipe & helping me score some points with the MIL haha!
Love this. I definitely poke the potatoes all over, multiple times. The flavor seems to just seep through better and they come out crispier. I do take it a step further and also use a generous amount of unslated garlic and herb seasoning with kosher salt along with the olive oil and let them sit for about 10 minutes before baking. C’est si bon !
Thank you all for participating in this back and forth. All I wanted to do was ask Google how do I bake a potato. And what I got was a community of learned scholars in the art of baking potatoes
We are unified and not divided. We can bake a potato or two or 20 or 40 or 60. What a joy to simply read the words of all of us with a common goal. I know include baking potatoes in my list of preparing Soul Foods. Thanks again to one and all.
Hi
I had a Potatoe explode in a HOT oven, what a mess. I will always pierce my baked spuds. And we asked at Texas Roadhouse about their crispy skins (highly doubtful they are washed)and they said bacon grease too so I have a jar in my frig ready to go
ok, wasn’t hungry before but am now. never met a potato I didn’t like. thank you all.
No matter how many potatoes you do at once you should check them at the regular amount of time and see if they need any longer. If you don’t you could end up with a potato that seems to have grown a really thick skin. Always pierce them all over. Wrapping in foil makes the skins more soggy and not crispy. Even on the grill you should cook them unwrapped and just keep turning them so they don’t burn.
Should you wrap the potato with the shiny side of the foil on the outside of inside?
Very good! One Q -if I did 6 potatoes instead of 4 – do I need to increase the time?
I slice them half way ( about 5-6 slices) between slices put butter onion salt & pepper wrap in foil & bake about 45-50 min. yum yum
Somehow I have spent my entire long life making baked potatoes by simply pricking them with a fork and baking them. The addition of olive oil and kosher salt makes them amazing. I bought organically grown potatoes so I could feel good about ingesting the skins, and thought these were absolutely delicious without anything added to them. (I had a bag of 18 Russets that were just barely beginning to sprout. I cut off all the sprouted parts and proceeded to bake them this way. I didn’t measure the olive oil or salt, just rubbed each one with both.) SO… Read more »
I actually had a potato explode. I went to take it out of the oven after cooking it and grabbed it with an oven mitt. Poof! The minute I touched it, it exploded! The whole inside of the oven was coated in small potato pieces and it took me (after the oven cooled down) over an hour to clean it up.