Why It Works
- Oiling the pores and skin of the candy potatoes and leaving them unwrapped produces crisp, tender skins.
- Baking the candy potatoes on a wire rack permits air to flow into round every potato, leading to evenly cooked taters.
- Scooping out the candy potato flesh and mashing it with butter, then refilling the skins, creates a scrumptious, creamy filling.
My go-to weeknight meal after I don’t really feel like cooking is one which includes barely any dishes and requires simply 10 minutes of energetic prep time: baked candy potatoes. Loaded up with melted cheddar, crispy bacon, minced chives, and bitter cream, baked potatoes—whether or not you select to make use of starchy russets or candy garnets—are a easy and filling dinner. Past its ease, the great thing about the baked potato is that you could fill and prime it nonetheless you’d like, and so they’re an amazing vessel for utilizing up leftovers like chili, shepherd’s pie filling, or Bolognese.
Although baking candy potatoes isn’t troublesome, it’s nonetheless value taking the time to go the additional mile to ensure every spud is really scrumptious and doesn’t style like an afterthought. (They could be virtually easy, however they don’t need to style easy!) Beneath, you’ll discover a number of key methods—a few of which Severe Eats editorial director Daniel has already touched on in his final baked potato recipe—that may provide help to make the perfect loaded candy potatoes.
Learn how to Make Outrageously Scrumptious Loaded Baked Candy Potatoes
Select the appropriate measurement candy potato. Candy potatoes can considerably differ in measurement, with some as small as a finger and others weighing greater than a pound. Although you’re greater than welcome to make use of no matter measurement of candy potato you’ve got, take into account that the baking time will differ relying on how giant or small your candy potatoes are. In my recipe under, I like to recommend utilizing medium candy potatoes, which take about an hour and fifteen minutes to bake. Medium or giant candy potatoes are additionally simpler to load the toppings onto than small ones.
Puncture your candy potatoes. Each Daniel and former Severe Eats editor Kenji suggest puncturing potatoes with a paring knife to forestall steam from build up and inflicting the spud to blow up, which might trigger an incredible mess in your oven and, extra importantly, may cause burns if a potato explodes if you end up checking it within the oven or dealing with it. So: Puncture these taters and deal with them with care.
Oil the candy potatoes, then depart them unwrapped. For candy potato skins that bake up barely crisp, give them a light-weight coating of oil and skip wrapping them in foil. Whereas many baked potato recipes name for wrapping the spuds in foil, this doesn’t exponentially velocity up their cooking, nor does it produce a extra scrumptious potato. As Daniel present in his testing, wrapping potatoes in foil solely achieves one factor: soggy skins. By leaving the candy potatoes unwrapped and rubbing them in oil, we get crispy but tender potato skins that you simply truly need to eat.
Bake them on a wire rack. As tempting as it could be to simply chuck the candy potatoes on a sheet pan, putting the spuds straight onto the baking sheet can lead to burned bottoms. I like to recommend baking the candy potatoes on a wire rack set right into a rimmed baking sheet—this permits scorching air to flow into round every potato in order that they prepare dinner extra evenly. No wire rack? Bake the candy potatoes straight in your oven rack—simply remember to maintain a sheet pan or sheet of foil on the rack under to catch any drips.
Mash the candy potatoes with butter, then use the combination to stuff the skins. Go the additional mile by scooping out the cooked candy potato flesh, mashing it with butter, then utilizing that combination to fill the skins. In the event you’re baking 4 potatoes, you possibly can refill every pores and skin to make 4 reasonably stuffed candy potatoes, or fill half of the skins for 2 huge, overstuffed candy potatoes.
Get artistic with the toppings. You may’t go improper with traditional loaded baked potato toppings, however there are many different enjoyable garnishes to contemplate. I like to prime my candy potatoes with a big swoop of labne and tahini, a hearty bean chili, or corn salad. Observe your coronary heart—or your abdomen. It gained’t lead you astray.
My Go-to Weeknight Meal Takes 10 Minutes to Prep and Requires Barely Any Cooking
Prepare dinner Mode
(Maintain display awake)
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4 medium candy potatoes (about 12 ounces; 340g every), washed, scrubbed, and dried
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Canola, vegetable, or extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces; 56g), diced
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Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper
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Toppings of your alternative, akin to grated cheddar cheese, crispy diced bacon bits, minced chives, bitter cream, and store-bought do-it-yourself chili
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Alter oven rack to center place and preheat to 375ºF (190ºC). Utilizing a fork or paring knife, puncture candy potatoes in a number of spots. Rub every candy potato throughout with a light-weight coating of oil. Prepare on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and bake till a fork can simply be inserted into the middle of every candy potato and pores and skin is crisp and flippantly browned, about 1 hour quarter-hour.
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Let candy potatoes relaxation 5 minutes. Slice every open lengthwise nearly right through, open like a guide, and scoop flesh right into a mixing bowl. Add butter, season with salt and pepper, and utilizing a potato masher, mash till butter is integrated however potatoes are nonetheless barely chunky.
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Scoop mashed candy potatoes again into skins. (You may refill every pores and skin, making 4 smaller potatoes, or use all of the mashed candy potatoes to refill solely half the skins, making 2 overstuffed candy potatoes.) Utilizing your palms, reshape every stuffed candy potato again right into a traditional baked potato form.
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Prime with toppings of your alternative. To soften cheese, add it first, then return candy potatoes to oven till cheese is melted, about 1 minute. If topping with chili, place about 1/2 cup chili onto potato, prime with grated cheddar, then return stuffed candy potatoes to oven till cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Particular Gear
Wire rack, rimmed baking sheet, potato masher
Notes
In the event you’re baking 4 potatoes, you possibly can refill every pores and skin to make 4 smaller candy potatoes, or fill two of the skins for 2 huge, overstuffed candy potatoes.
This recipe might be doubled.
Make-Forward and Storage
As soon as cooled, baked candy potatoes might be refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days. Reheat in a 350ºF (175ºC) oven, air fryer, or microwave till warmed by way of.