Baked Potato Instructions

Add bacon bits, sour cream and chives to your baked potato.

A baked potato can be topped with chopped vegetables, bacon and cheese to serve as a standalone meal or topped with butter and sour cream to serve as a side dish for a juicy steak. The best type of potato to bake is a russet potato; russets are large enough to stuff full of additional ingredients if you choose to do so. You'll need a little more than one hour to prepare a baked potato.

Things You'll Need

• Russet potato
• Fork
• Aluminum foil
• Canola oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Position your oven rack in the very center of the oven.

2. Wash your potato by running it under cold water and scrubbing the outside with a brush.

3. Pierce the top of your potato with a fork approximately eight to 12 times so that the potato can release the steam as it cooks.

4. Apply a thin layer of canola oil to the outside of the potato and sprinkle lightly with salt.

5. Wrap the potato in a small piece of aluminum foil, ensuring that it covers the entire potato.

6. Place the potato directly on the center oven rack and allow it to cook for approximately one hour.

7. Remove the potato from the oven using an oven mitt. Allow it to cool for approximately five minutes before removing the aluminum foil and cutting it open. Be careful, as the potato will still be very hot.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when removing your potato from the oven and removing the aluminum foil from the potato, because it will be extremely hot. Use oven mitts when handling the hot potato.

References

• Food Network: The Baked Potato