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What to add to baked potatoes

Baked potatoes are the perfect dinner for those who don't have time to cook a complicated dinner. But often this hearty dish is not only bland but also falls apart.

If you want your baked potatoes to be crispy and more flavorful, you need to remove excess moisture during cooking and make sure the steam doesn't make the potato skin mushy.

According to Jeanine, cookbook author and founder of Love & Lemons, the best way to ensure the perfect potato crust is to make sure to salt it.

Potatoes already contain a lot of liquid, so using salt draws out some of the moisture and reduces the amount of steam around the surface, helping the crust to become crispy.

In addition, salt not only improves the texture of baked potatoes but also makes them even tastier as it activates the natural flavors contained in the potato, making the taste more pronounced.

How to make baked potatoes crispy (photo: Freepik)

Of course, a little butter or sour cream doesn't hurt when baking potatoes, but simply salted potatoes will be perfectly crispy and flavorful.

How to cook baked potatoes

First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking sheet with baking paper. However, despite the common practice, do not wrap the potatoes in foil, as the steam will not be able to escape.

Peel the potatoes, rinse them, and then dry them with a paper towel. Use a fork to make many holes in the surface to allow steam to escape.

Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. As Jeanine pointed out, this will not only give the potatoes a crispy crust, but you won't have to season the flesh of the potato when you eat it.

Bake the potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes, until the skin turns golden. You can also check the potatoes for doneness with a fork - the tines should easily pass through the potato.