# Want to spice up plain baked potatoes



## lhanson

I am fixing baked potatoes for a get-together tomorrow and wanted to do something a little different with them.  I read somewhere about seasoning the outside with salt and oil...does anyone have a spin on plain baked potatoes?


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## middie

i wash my potatoes then i smother the skins with butter and minced garlic. then i wrap them in foil.


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## abjcooking

I usually stick the potato with a fork and then on top off the skin I put some olive oil, salt, and pepper on it. You can spice it up a bit with a grilling blend or some garlic and onion salt, maybe some cayenne. Make sure the outside is coated really well with spices, but not too salty. Then I wrap it in foil and put it in the oven to bake. when it comes out I unwrap it and cut an x into the potato, squeeze and add choices of dressings. My personal favorates are butter, cheese, sour cream, and green onions.


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## Michael in FtW

What kind of texture are you wanting on the skin? If you oil them and bake them directly on the oven rack (not on a sheet pan!) then you'll get a crisper skin ... wrap them in foil and you'll get a softer skin - with or without oil. Seasoning the skin will, well, season the skin.

I'm sure _someone_ has written a cookbook on the many ways to serve a baked potato. Basically - use what you want! Be it as humble as butter, salt and pepper ... to a little more exotic with a dollop of sour cream and a garnish of chives .... go wild and add crumbled fried bacon - to really decadent concotions like butter, chili, sour cream, diced onions and grated cheddar cheese.

A baked potato is a blank canvas just waiting for you to paint your own inspiration on it.


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## jkath

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> A baked potato is a blank canvas just waiting for you to paint your own inspiration on it.


 
That needs to be your sig below all your posts, Michael. Very well put.


It isn't baked, but the potato I've been cooking a lot lately is those tiny little red creamy potatoes. I wash and skewer them (big with big, little with little to assure the timing is the same on each skewer) and give them a good painting of grapeseed oil. Then I BBQ them on the gas grill over med-low heat. The skins get almost charred and then when they're done, I wrap the skewers in aluminum foil till I'm ready to serve the meal. As I take them off the skewers and put them into a bowl, they get a light sprinkling of salt.
That's it! This frees up the oven and also keeps the house cool.


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## luvs

lhanson, i like to add bunches of things to my baked potatoes. 
i wasn't sure if you wanted to know what to do with them before baking or after, but htese are my favorite after recipes.
sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper.
sour cream, cheese sauce, salsa and chopped green chiles.
blue cheese mixed w/ cream cheese. black pepper and chives on top. i like to slice the potato not quite through and smush the cheeses into it.

jkath, i love those little red potatoes. that's usually what i end up buying.


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## Michael in FtW

What to do - Part Deux

And then again .... take the potatoes out of the oven, cut them in half, scoop out the insides - be careful to leave about a 1/4-inch inside the skin "shell" ... mash and mix the removed potato with what you want, such as bacon bits, sour cream, chives or sauted onion, sauted mushrooms (can't believe I forgot sauted mushrooms before), etc. ... spoon back into the potatoe skins ... top with finely grated cheddar, ramano, parmesan cheese -or- buttered cracker or bread crumbs ... run back into the oven (about 350-F) until the cheddar melts, or the parmesan, romano or crumbs brown. Now you have "twice baked" potatoes!

And - for something different - a baked sweet potato. No, not the Thanksgiving or Christmas stuff with syrup and marshmellows on top - just take a sweet 'tater and bake it like an Idao baker ... split it open and fill with butter, salt and black pepper! You "could" add a dollop of sour cream - but I think just basic "lots-o-butter"/s&p is the best. Okay - maybe a sprinkle of chopped pecans ....

See how this goes? Give it a little thought ... see what you can come up with!

I'm still trying to figure out how to get avacado and bean sprouts into a baked 'tater for jkath!


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## jkath

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> I'm still trying to figure out how to get avacado and bean sprouts into a baked 'tater for jkath!


 
oooooooooh! No bean sprouts here - I know, I know, it's a California thing, but I'm a rebel....

As for the avos, Michael - mash up a good buttery Haas and mix it in with your potato flesh - yum! Also good is grilling the potato halves, and also grilling peeled avocado halves and red onion quarters. (Both are lightly oiled) When they're done, cut into large chunks, put into a large bowl, add salt if you wish and voila! A fabulous avo-tater salad!


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## Constance

Michael, I learned to eat sweet potatoes that way when I lived in Texas, and that's my favorite way...just lots'o butter!

I love to eat the skin with my baked potato, and wondered why my skins don't turn out crispy like the ones in good restaurants. 
"Duhhhh"...I was wrapping them in foil!

Live and learn...


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## SierraCook

jkath said:
			
		

> oooooooooh! No bean sprouts here - I know, I know, it's a California thing, but I'm a rebel....


 
jkath, it is alfalfa sprouts that are a CA thing. I love bean sprouts in Asian dishes, but other sprouts I can do with out. Well, ok I admit I have used radish sprouts here and there.  

middie, I love your garlic and butter idea for baked potatoes. Has anyone ever cooked baked potatoes on the grill? I try not to use the oven in summer, too hot!! I like to keep my baked potatoes simple. I used to smother them in all kinds of toppings and now I prefer them just with salt, pepper, and butter.


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## lhanson

Thanks for all the ideas!  Now I have to decide which one to use.  I think I'll leave the foil off and rub them in evoo and some garlic parmesan seasoning I have.  Maybe one I'll just salt and pepper for the one person who is not a garlic lover.  I will post tomorrow with my results.  Will try out the other ideas another day...they all sound yummy!


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## kleenex

One of things you could try is this.

Take one nice sized potato and cut the potato into 4 pieces.

Mix together some Oil, Garlic powder, Lemmon Pepper, and any type of chilie powder you have and pour that onto the potato.  Wrap the potato in some foil and cook it until it is done.

You don't want the mixtire too oily.


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## tancowgirl2000

Here I was wondering what on earth to do with my potatoes tonight then I ran across "Twice Baked"  Well duh!!!  I dont know why I didnt think of that sooner.....thanks once again for complimenting my supper....


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## kadesma

SierraCook said:
			
		

> jkath, it is alfalfa sprouts that are a CA thing. I love bean sprouts in Asian dishes, but other sprouts I can do with out. Well, ok I admit I have used radish sprouts here and there.
> 
> middie, I love your garlic and butter idea for baked potatoes. Has anyone ever cooked baked potatoes on the grill? I try not to use the oven in summer, too hot!! I like to keep my baked potatoes simple. I used to smother them in all kinds of toppings and now I prefer them just with salt, pepper, and butter.


Sierra, I like to throw them on the grill and even into coals, brush them off cut them open and top with just butter salt and pepper and some sliced green onion..YUMMY 
kadesma


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## lhanson

Well, my potatoes were a hit!  Thanks for all your help.  The only problem that I noticed was some of the seasonings turned black.  I'm sure that wouldn't happen if I'd wrapped them in foil, but I wanted the crunchy skin.  Didn't seem to effect the taste, just bugged me!  I have some leftover - think I'll slice them up and saute with sliced onions.


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## Robo410

truly delish is balsamic vinegar salt and pepper on a baked potato.  fat free and very healthy, as well as having lots of flavor!


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## bknox

Potato as a blank canvas is a great thought.

There are a couple of things I like to do with potatoes. For baked potatoes, as mentioned above, buttered and garliced for baking. Then mix sour cream with garlic or roasted garlic to dress it up. I have also served baked potato with sour cream mixed with a tiny amount of cayenne and smoked paprika and topped with minced chive. Bacon never hurts either. I have also used guacamole on potatoes when the dinner is latin based.

Mashed potatoes can be jazzed up as well by using aromatics such as fresh oregano and garlic powder. My favorite, I believe, would be to take canned Chipotle in Adobo sauce. Chop up 1 or 2 canned chipotle very small or process into a paste and blend with your mashed potatoes and top with butter. You could also add some of the Adobo sauce. Bacon is also a good thing.

I hope this helps,
Bryan


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## jkath

lhanson:
Here's another quickie for your leftover potatoes:
dice them, along with onions and any leftover grilled meat (I like chicken) and saute it with garlic and add eggs and make a scramble out of it all.


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## middie

jkath we've done that. it's really good with salami or pepperoni too


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## Run_Out

I use the grill for my baked potatoes, I roast a head of garlic, cut the potato in three pices, put the garlic between the pieces and wrap back in foil then put it on the grill. It is one of Martha's methods.  Taste good.


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## luvs

Run_Out said:
			
		

> I use the grill for my baked potatoes, I roast a head of garlic, cut the potato in three pices, put the garlic between the pieces and wrap back in foil then put it on the grill. It is one of Martha's methods. Taste good.


 
yum!!!!!!!!!


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