Loaded Baked Potato Rounds Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why should you poke holes in a potato before baking it? ›

Pricking the potatoes with a fork creates tiny holes that allows steam to escape. This prevents your potato from bursting open in the oven (and making a mess!).

You'll just have to boil the potatoes for only about 10 to 15 minutes, or until you can easily poke through them with a fork, then proceed with the baking as usual. And for even more crispiness, Ramsay suggests sprinkling the potatoes with a bit of flour right before putting them in the oven.

Sides are usually optional and customers can order as many or as few as they wish. Baked potatoes that are served with a number of these sides are commonly referred to as loaded potatoes or loaded baked potatoes. These potatoes can themselves be a side item to a steak dinner, or a similar entree.

"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.

Using a fork, pierce holes into each potato- about 3 pokes on each side. Brush coconut oil on each potato, making sure to cover them entirely. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a fork can pierce the potato easily.

Wrapping potatoes in foil does not hasten baking. On the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking times increase slightly. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money.

The olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the surface of the potato. To save time, restaurants often apply the oil with a spray bottle. Thanks to their naturally high starch content, which creates a plush texture under heat, Russet potatoes make a good fit for baking.

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Give them a cold water bath: Once your potatoes are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the potatoes completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Our famous mashed potatoes topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and green onions.

Do restaurants pre cook baked potatoes? ›

You're not eating pre-baked potatoes

Restaurants usually bake their potatoes ahead of time. Otherwise, your meal couldn't come out of the kitchen in under 45 minutes. Once a chef bakes potatoes, they either warm them up again or keep the spuds in a warmer.

We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more.

This is because the skin of an average potato is sturdy enough to prevent most of the steam from escaping. For this reason, our verdict on the debate is to indeed poke the potato skin with a fork or knife in a few places before you bake it.

Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.

A: I would just skip poking the potato all together. It is very rare that a baked potato will burst if the steam can't escape.

It is a totally myth. I have been baking potatoes for about 50 years and I have never pricked holes in them. I have also never heard of nor seen a potato explode in the oven. It just doesn't happen.

Rumor has it that an un-pricked spud will explode in the oven—but in all actuality, that's unlikely.

"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while. The potato is full of water it's trying to turn to steam, or water vapor.