Crispy Baked Potatoes
Learn the secrets to making the best Crispy Baked Potatoes in the oven! An easy make-ahead dinner, these healthy baked potatoes are the perfect comfort food.
Crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside, these oven-baked potatoes will convince you to make a potato bar part of your weekly dinner rotation. These are SO easy and taste incredible.
Pair these potatoes with a Chopped Kale Salad and Butternut Squash Chili and your dinner game just went next level.
Are Baked Potatoes Better in Foil?
In a word – NOOOOOOO. The foil will steam the potato and cook it through, but it also prevents that crispy skin everyone loves so much! Ditch the foil wrapping and use this baking method instead.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- The dripping olive oil on the foil/baking sheet will smell “hot” in your kitchen, and there may be some sizzling. That is all perfectly normal.
- The kosher salt flavors the potato while baking and helps create the crispiest skin ever! But please brush all the excess salt off of the potato prior to serving.
- Make these healthy baked potatoes an easy weeknight meal by baking them during your weekly meal prep. Store in an air-tight lidded container in the fridge, and microwave for 60 seconds to reheat.
Variations
- This process also works amazingly well with sweet potatoes, but the baking time usually needs to be increased by 10 minutes. Related: Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes.
- Feel free to experiment with flavors and seasonings. I love cracked lemon pepper and chopped rosemary mixed in with the olive oil.
- Want a cheesy appetizer version? Try these Loaded Air Fryer Potato Skins.
MORE TASTY WEEKNIGHT DINNERS YOU’LL LOVE
- Air Fryer Quesadillas
- Fried Gnocchi and Veggies
- Air Fryer Taquitos
- Instant Pot Ravioli
- Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets
- Instant Pot Tortellini
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Homemade Pretzel Dogs
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 1 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Crispy Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Scrub the outside of potatoes, and dry off with a clean kitchen towel.
- Poke 7-10 holes in the skin of the potato with a fork.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add olive oil, salt, and minced garlic.
- Put two potatoes in the bowl and swirl it around until the entire potato is covered in the oil/salt/garlic mixture. Move to a plate. Repeat with the other potatoes.
- Put a piece of foil or a baking sheeting on the bottom rack of oven. Place the potatoes directly on the rack above the foil/baking sheet.
- Bake for 60-90 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. The potatoes are ready when a sharp knife pierces easily into the skin.
Notes
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I have been meaning to try this method and finally remembered to buy some large potatoes. My husband LOVES potatoes but is very picky about how they’re cooked. He said this recipe is “spot on” (he’s British)! Even my middle daughter who does not love potatoes liked these! They were a perfect side for chili!
Yahoo, so glad they worked out so well for you and the family!
I was already planning to make twice baked potatoes for dinner tonight so I’m gonna have to try this recipe!
So, as I was walking out the door last week, I told Emma (my twelve year old) she should make baked potatoes to go with the chili-stew thing cooking in the crockpot. I told her to look for the recipe on your site. She found the recipe, she made them all by herself (while home alone!), and they were AWESOME! She is now the official baked potato chef in our house. Thanks!
Woot, WTG Emma! I know they’re not flowers or pretty wildlife, but I feel like I should have seen a photo of said potatoes on her IG page… 🙂
So glad they worked out well and were a good pairing for the “chili-stew thing”.
One of my all time favorites, this dish is easy to make and goes a long way. I will prepare myself and eat at breakfast or as a snack for morning tea.
This is pretty much how I prepare my baked potatoes, nothing better than that crispy skin, your dad´s version sound amazing, but yeah very time consuming, but I´m sure so worth it! great post 🙂
Crispy skin is the best!!
This is almost exactly the way I do mine! Down to the swirling 🙂
Crispy baked potato skin is a very great joy.
The art is in the swirl, right?
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make these for our book club. The tip to make it th night before really helped too.
Mmm, these look really good. I have an abundance of potatoes from our veggie share, so I may have to add these to the menu this week. Maybe while I cook the leg of lamb?
Cannot wait to try these??? I LOVE baked taters!
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
JL
Let me know how you like them!
I love baked potatoes, especially when they’re made by smart cookies like you who know better than to wrap them in foil. That crunchy skin is SO yummy!
It’s almost like bonus bacon! ;-D