I hope you won’t be offended at my pertinence in giving instructions for baking potatoes.  I just wonder if some of you are missing out on the very most delicious and simple method of preparing potatoes for dinner.

Baked potatoes are a great addition to a meal where there is no gravy or sauce.  They do well on their own, with a little butter, salt and pepper and if you want to get fancy, bacon bits and sour cream.  Maybe even a few chives or finely chopped green onion.

The key is to give your potatoes a good long time to cook.  I usually do them when I am making a meat loaf or baked chicken.  That way, the oven is on and everything cooks at the same time.

Start with baking potatoes

there is no need to wrap in foil.  I know some people like the skin to be soft, but I don’t quite understand that.

Also, please eat the skin.  It has been washed and given a scrape before going into the 350 or 400 degree oven.  Believe me, by the time you eat it, any germs are long gone and that crispy delicious skin is part of the amazingness of the baked potato.

So, you have a few  choices for cooking your potatoes.  you can

give them 5 minutes in the microwave (poke them a couple of times first with a knife or fork) and then put them in a 400 degree oven for an hour

or

place them in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes (be sure to poke them in a few places first)

or

place them in a 350 oven for 1 hour and 30 to 40 minutes. (poke them a few times first)

Give them a squeeze to see if they feel soft inside before removing from the oven.  The skin will be crispy.

Give it a slit and a squeeze.  Top with butter and while it’s melting, sprinkle salt and pepper.  Then of course, you have the option of whatever else you might like to add.

If you have never tried one of these methods for baking potatoes, please give it a try.  They are worth a try.