How to Make Perfect Baked Potatoes

Perfect Baked Potato

• 5 pounds Russet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Aluminum Foil
• Toppings, sour cream, shredded cheese, broccoli, cooked bacon, chunky salsa
• Sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Soak the potatoes and scrub to remove dirt and debris.  Pierce each potato with a fork, 2-3 times on both sides to allow steam to escape.  Coat in a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.  If you prefer a crispy potato skin do not use the aluminum foil.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake for one hour, or until soft.  Remove from the oven.  Immediately roll each potato between two hot mits to break up the inside of the potato.  This makes it nice and fluffy and can only be done when the potato is hot.  Keep warm until ready to serve.  Three out of four kids ate this for dinner.  Success!

I do not like heating up my house with the oven on for over an hour, so I bake these outside in our “redneck” kitchen.    I found this portable convection oven at a yard sale for $3- and it is big enough to fit an entree.  It’s not the prettiest outdoor decoration but when you live in the desert you have to make due!  Thanks Jayne for this idea.  What is great is the size and accessibility for the kids.  Julianna, age 11, has made dinner in this oven several times.  The controls are very simple, and it’s kind of like an over-sized,  fully functional, easy-bake oven that the kids can use (with adult supervision of course).