SALT BAKED POTATOES WITH ROASTED GARLIC BUTTER
Your typical baked potato got an upgrade.
4 servings, 1 hour 15 minutes (only about 5 minutes work)
Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes
2 cups Kosher salt, coarse
1 stick butter, salted, room temperature
1 head of garlic
Optional: kosher salt, fine
The Blistered Peppers Take:
Potatoes are all the rage right now, If you’ve not seen the viral TikTok potato recipe, trust me this crushes it. I’ll admit, I’m not making potatoes every day at home, but when I do I love them. Roasting them is easiest because you chop, marinate, and roast. But when you’ve got the time to bake a potato, there’s almost nothing better. Slather a good baked potato with salted garlicky butter and you’ve got yourself the greatest side to salmon, grilled chicken, or steak. Serve up a baked potato with an arugula salad (maybe even throw the arugula on top of the potato) … chef’s kiss!
WHAT DOES SALTING THE POTATO DO
I came across this salting method years ago and was introduced to it by a chef friend of mine. Potatoes are filled with water. This is why sometimes when you’re trying to make oven fries or even roasted potatoes as I mentioned above, they don’t crisp up enough. When you swallow the potato up with salt, it pulls that moisture out and allows for a crispier skin and yummier “potato meat.” Another trick when you’ve got the time: slice up your potato into fries, and soak them in water for as long as you can (on the counter). When you drain the potatoes, you’ll see tons of starch has collected at the bottom of the bowl, then dry the potatoes with a clean kitchen towel and no matter how you cook them they will be much crispier than before!
WHY RUSSET
There are really three types of potatoes. Starchy (my fave), waxy, and everyday use. Starchy potatoes (Russet) are the fluffiest so they bake up the best which is why I use them here. Waxy potatoes (think the prettier potatoes) hold up great so you find them in potato salads or recipes that require a boil or or a casserole. And everyday potatoes are just that, use them for anything - these are more of the yukon gold-like potatoes - mash them, fry them, roast them - use them however you like!
WHY DOES A BAKED POTATO TAKE SO LONG TO ‘BAKE’
I remember when I first started cooking and all I wanted was to bake up a potato and no matter what it was never baked. The bottom line is, you want high temp and a good amount of time - this way you’ve got drier, crispier skin and fluffY, soft potato inside. Have more time? Experiment with the oven at 300 degrees for 90 minutes and let me know how it turns out!
Give these a try the next time you’re home on a cold day. DM me your pics or tag me on social.
More Blistered Peppers sides to try:
Stuffing with Sausage and Herbs
Steamed Artichokes with Dijonaise
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the top ¼ inch off 1 garlic head. Generously drizzle the top of the garlic in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Loosely wrap the garlic head in a piece of tin foil and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Wash and dry the russet potatoes. Poke them with a fork or sharp knife a few times, then cover in vegetable oil and LOTS of coarse salt (use your hands!). Bake for 45 minutes.
Option to use a mixture of coarse and fine salt. It'll stick better to the potato skin.
Remove the tin foil casing from the oven and open it carefully. Allow the garlic to cool for about 5 minutes so you can use your hands to squeeze out all the roasted cloves. In a small food processor or blender, combine the butter with the roasted garlic cloves. Transfer to a small bowl and allow the garlic butter to cool in the fridge.
Remove the potatoes. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes.
When ready to serve, cut the potatoes lengthwise and slather with garlic butter.
