Ingredients
• potato (russets are best but any large potato works… but not a sweet potato or yam)
Note: When you pick out a potato at the store, avoid ones that are greenish or that look like they have had a hard life and could use a stiff drink right about now.
Some potential toppings for your potato, which can be combined any way you like:
• butter or margarin
• sour cream or plain yogurt
• canned chili that you have heated on the stove or in the microwave
• grated cheese
• bacon pieces! (can be purchased pre-made, usually found near salad dressing in the supermarket
• salsa
• brocoli in a cheese sauce (can be purchased in the frozen foods aisle and heated as directed on the package)
Gear
• oven (plus a microwave oven if you want to speed up cooking)
• oven mit
Making It
Step 1:
If you need to, move racks in the oven so you can bake the potatoes on a rack in the middle. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F
Step 2:
Wash your potato under cold running water and scrub the dirt off with your hands.
Step 3:
Poke your potato with a fork a couple of times to break the skin. That will let the steam out as it bakes. Potatoes can burst when baking.
Step 4:
Put your potato in the oven directly on the rack, even if the oven has not finished pre-heating. If it’s a pretty big potato, it will be done in about an hour and a half. A smaller potato will be done in about an hour and a quarter.
Pro Tip: Speed up the cooking time of your potato by cooking it in the microwave for 2 minutes, which will reduce the regular oven cooking time by 15 minutes. Or cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes to reduce the regular oven cooking time by 30 minutes.
Step 5:
Check to see if your potato is done. Put on your oven mit, open the oven and give your potato a loving little squeeze. If it is hard, try again in about 15 minutes. If it gives when you squeeze it, it’s done.
Step 6:
Using your oven mit, take your potato out of the oven. Your potato is very hot. Be careful. Put it on a plate and slice open the top with a knife and squeeze the potato to open it up. Put on whatever toppings you like. Have no fear.
Step 7:
Eat your potato