Recipe Potato perfection

Snowy's husband attained this highly regarded culinary achievement recently. I'll bet he's not the only one to do so. Have you? Have you mastered the tuber? If so, what's your secret? Or are you, like me in search of that elusive spud status?

Last week I had dinner at Mancy's in Toledo, reknown for their steaks. And my filet was perfect. However what blew me away and everyone else at the table was the baked potatoes. First of all they were huge. Like small footballs, never have seen this size at the grocery. Split open, served with plenty of butter melting on the inside. The flavor was outstanding. Just potato and butter. I didn't even add salt or pepper. Best potato I have ever had. Is there some trick baked potato perfection? I wanna know.

Post your perfect potato tips.

 

I enjoy a good spud, and usually whip them up the quick and dirty way, by nuking them.

But for a real, perfect, amazing baked potato experience, they must be large, organic russet potatoes, well washed and scrubbed free of dirt. Then they should be pierced deeply with a fork several times, all over, and rubbed gently with high quality clarified butter or ghee, until there is a glistening sheen on the skin. They should then be wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and set to bake in a hot grill (I use the upper rack and closed grill cover, but I know some who swear that they must be right on the grill, cover open. They need somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill and the size of the potato, and ideally should be turned a couple of times during baking. When done, they'll need to cool for a couple of minutes, and they they can be split open, and buttered using the highest quality European-style unsalted butter, and seasoned only with freshly ground sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

That is the ideal, although I have also sometimes taken them off the grill around 5-7 minutes before "done," split them, added a tiny dab of butter to be pulped into the flesh of the potato, topped them with slices of white cheddar cheese aged for at least three years, and finished them off in a 400F oven, until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

 

I'd do most of what Levite would do, but after baking it in foil for a while, I'll take it out of the foil, slather them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with Kosher Salt.
Then bake until the skin is crispy.
Then load those motherspudders up!

 

I just now realized I don't think I've ever baked a potato. I've probably eaten hundreds if not thousands of the things but I've never baked one myself. I'll have to rememdy that.

 

Never baked one myself either.

But in line with being German: the best potato is a mashed potato.

Even better with sour cream and bacon in the center. Yum.

 

My mom had this old fashioned potato cooker thing that made amazing baked potatoes.
I have never seen one since.
It had a metal loop handle, and a flat metal surface with small holes and a little center spot where you put a drop of water.
You put the potatoes directly on the metal surface and cooked on the stove top.
Potatoes came out with a nicely browned skin that was delicious to eat and the centers were nicely done.
Closest that I have come to that is doing them on the grill.

We eat roasted sweet potatoes most of the time now. Puncture, lightly wrap with foil, roast.
Simply delicious and a whole lot of nutrition in a small package.

 

Y'all just reminded me that I need to pick up some spuds. I love them, but rarely think to buy and cook them, for some reason.

 

Prefer them with a large dollop of sour cream.

Y'all eat the skin too or does that get tossed with the tin foil?
The skin is the best part.

 

The skin is definitely a good part of the potato. If nothing else it adds texture. Without the skin you might as well be eating mashed potatoes. ( Dang, I leave the skin on to mash them too, bad analogy )

 

I love mashed potatoes. Love them.

I use a ricer to get them very smooth. I also add warm cream and butter and some fresh chopped rosemary and roasted garlic.

Always amazing.

 

Germany approves of every mashed potato comment.

 

Snowy, on your advise, I just purchased a new KA mixer for Christmas. I made sure to get the pro model with the extra power. Not waiting for Christmas to use it.

 

I'm baking some big ole potatoes right now. The wife is going to scoop em out and make twice baked potatoes to go with steak. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

well, I poke a bunch of holes with a fork..rub it down with butter then just pop them in my Nu-wave oven for couple of hours..comes out perfect every time.