Grow It, Catch It, Cook It

Perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle, baked potatoes are perfect for a Perth winter night. This is a great meal for enjoying with friends and family. You can build your own topping as you go so it is very family/guest friendly. There is nothing better than eating with your hands as you chat away.

I suggest 1.5 medium potatoes per adult and a few more for tomorrow’s lunch.

Everyone has their favourite potato variety that you must use for baked potatoes. However, I have found that you can make perfect oven baked potatoes from most varieties.

STEPS:

1. Prepare and cook the potatoes
2. Prepare your toppings
3. Serving

You will need:

• Ingredients:
  • your favourite potatoes
  • table salt
  • ground black pepper
  • your favourite toppings, sauces and condiments.
• Equipment
  • paper towel
  • a chopping board
  • a long sharp knife
  • an oven dish or oven rack
  • several plates to serve the toppings

Prepare and cook the potatoes

Steps:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Scrub each potato to remove dirt, eyes and  deeper imperfections.
3. Dry them thoroughly using the paper towel, this is important for the crispy finish.
4. Spray each potato with olive oil spray and dust them liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Pop them on the oven rack (or oven dish) making sure there is space between them.
6. Cook for about 1 hour (longer depending on your oven or if you are using really big potatoes). I test the largest potato at this stage. If it is ready the others are too.

Before:

After:

Prepare your toppings

Steps:

1. Harvest, chop, slice and gather your favourite toppings
2. Put them on plates in the middle of the table so your guests can build their own potato.

Here is what I used. Sour cream, cheese and coleslaw are must-haves  in my family:

Serving

I can’t remember where I read this but it is the most important part of the process.

Just before serving the potatoes, you need to first cut them, then squeeze them with your thumbs and forefingers (to break up the insides) and then flatten them out a bit. This will let the steam out and stop the potato skin from going soggy. You will also have a great base to load the toppings onto.

Here is a video of me doing just that whilst trying not to burn my fingers:

Here are a few of my favourite combinations:

They don’t freeze well but they do make a great lunch the following day:

Enjoy,

PK

Here are more potato dishes and winter warmers: