Best Baked Taters- Crispy and Hasselback
I do love me a baked tater. But I like them when they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Now, there are a few tricks to achieve the Best Baked Potato and we’re going to walk you through those steps and tips.
But we’re also sharing another style called Hasselback– or as I like to call then Dinosaur Taters. These are just another version to try with taters that are baked in a good seasoned oil to make the flavor jump.
Let’s go over some of the top tips for making the Perfect Baked ‘Tater
Russet ‘Taters
These are the preferred ‘tater to use for these style of baked potatoes. They have a high starch content which is going to give that good fluffiness- if you cook it right, which we’re going to show you.
Brine Solution
For a good ol’ baked potato take a fork and pierce the potato in several places.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of water and 4 tablespoons of salt. Place a tater in there and roll it around several times to coat well. Then remove it and place on a paper towel and repeat with remaining potatoes. The brine solution is going to get in those holes and pull out some of the moisture in the skin for crispiness.
Perfect Temp
Place the potatoes a little bit apart so they aren’t touching on a wire rack on top of a sheet, to help with air flow. Bake at 450 degrees F. for about 45- 50 minutes.
Now, I’m sure y’all have heard of probing meat with a temperature gauge to get the perfect cook. But you can also do that with ‘taters. You want that temperature to be about 210 Degrees F.
Bacon Grease
After you get them to that perfect temperature, remove them from the oven and you want to generously brush them with some bacon grease. This is my preferred way to do it for the best flavor, but you could also use an oil like olive, avocado, etc. After that, sprinkle them with salt.
I prefer to use the Margarita salt because it’s more like flecks of salt that stay on the ‘taters. Then you’re going to bake them for another 10 minutes.
Cut the Potato Immediately
When you pull them out of the oven you want to cut them as soon as you can. The longer you wait, that trapped steam in there is going to start softening the crust on the potato. So you want to cut them and let that steam out and enjoy!
Hasselback Style
Now on to those dinosaur ‘taters, as I like to call them, because they sort of look like a dinosaur’s back.
Be sure you cut the bottom off so the ‘taters lay flat on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet. Then you’ll want to go along and cut small slits through the potato but be sure not to cut all the way down to the bottom.
Now get some good bacon grease, olive oil or other oil and brush the potatoes generously all the way around. Place in a cast iron skillet and bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
When you take them out of the oven, I like to take a knife and separate the slits a little just in case any of them tried to stick together.
Give ‘Em a Bath
This is the point where we’re going to add some great flavor to these ‘taters. I like to mix up a little butter, rosemary, garlic and onion powder in a small bowl. Then generously brush the mixture on the potatoes.
Don’t be shy about putting this stuff on there and you want to be sure you get it down in some of those cracks too.
Go back again with that Margarita salt (or coarse sea salt) and give them a sprinkling. And then give it another coating with the butter mixture. Back in the oven for 10 minutes.
Let’s give ’em some extra goodness! Remove from the oven, give them another basting and back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
When you take them out of the oven, I like to give them another light coating with the butter and then they are ready to serve.
We also have these steps in our Video, so come join us in the kitchen!
Best Baked Potato - Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 4 Russet potatoes
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons salt
- Bacon grease or food oil for brushing
- Margarita salt or coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Wash the potatoes well and place them on a paper towel. With a fork, pierce holes in several places around the potatoes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and salt. Roll the potatoes in brine solution several times to coat well. Remove and place on a wire rack on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is 210 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and brush with bacon grease, or vegetable oil and give them a light sprinkling of margarita salt. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cut open immediately to let the steam release. Serve warm.
Hasselback Potatoes - Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 4 Russet potatoes
- Bacon grease or food oil
- ½ stick butter melted
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Margarita salt or coarse sea salt.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Slice the bottom of the potatoes to where they will lay flat. Cut parallel slits about ⅛-inch apart into each potato about ⅔ the way down. Be careful not to cut completely through the bottom.
- Brush the potatoes with bacon grease or other food oil and place in a cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and slightly spread the slices apart with a knife to make sure they aren’t sticking together.
- In a small bowl combine the butter, rosemary, garlic and onion powder. Brush the mixture generously over the potatoes. Sprinkle with margarita or sea salt.
- Bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush again with the butter mixture and bake another 10 minutes or until they are soft on the inside and crispy on top.
- Remove from the oven and baste one more time, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
