Coating baked potatoes in salt before cooking is the key to achieving a crispier, tastier result. According to Angela Patrone, Senior Lifestyle Reporter, abandoning foil and adding salt alongside olive oil ensures a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior.
The Problem with Traditional Methods
Many people prepare jacket potatoes by brushing them with oil and wrapping them in foil, but this can result in soggy skins because the foil locks in moisture. Without the right technique, potatoes can end up limp and wrinkled.
The solution is to skip the foil and cover the potatoes with salt in addition to olive oil. Salt is essential for that distinctive crackling exterior, as the coarse crystals draw out moisture from the skin during baking, creating a shell that crisps beautifully. It also stops steam from making the potato soft, allowing the olive oil to work effectively.
Choosing the Right Salt
While regular table salt works, sea salt is the better choice because its finer grain produces a less impressive crust. Patrone generally uses standard sea salt but has recently enjoyed rosemary sea salt from M&S, which elevates jacket potatoes and also works well on roasties.
Step-by-Step Method
To make tastier and crispier baked potatoes, start by preheating the oven to 200°C Fan. Scrub the potato under cold running water and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Prick the skin all over with a fork to allow steam to escape and prevent bursting in the oven.
Drizzle olive oil generously over the potato and roll it in the rosemary salt, ensuring every inch of the skin is well coated. Before placing it in the oven, give it a head start in the microwave. This helps achieve a soft, fluffy interior while keeping the skin from becoming tough.
Six to ten minutes in the microwave should suffice, with eight minutes being ideal for a typical potato. The potato is ready when the skin begins to pucker and wrinkle. Carefully transfer it to a baking tray using tongs and an oven glove, as both the potato and plate will be piping hot.
This potato required 40 minutes in the oven until a knife could glide effortlessly through the skin. After cooking, leave it in the oven for a further five minutes to help the skin crisp up beautifully.
Serving Suggestions
Afterwards, cut open the top, squeeze the edges to widen it, and fluff the inside with a fork before adding toppings. Patrone chose tuna mayo, but options include baked beans with cheese, chilli con carne, sour cream, or a knob of butter.
