THE secret to the perfect baked potato in a fraction of the time: cutting it in half! That’s right, we roast potato halves instead of full potatoes. Not only do they take less time, they also have perfect caramelized edges and a soft fluffy interior.
Top the potatoes with your favorite toppings; we love salt & pepper, butter, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, and green onions! Read on for more ideas on how to top your potatoes and how to make them into a filling meal.
The “secret”
We’re obsessed with potatoes at my home and in my opinion, there aren’t too many meals easier than loading up a baked potato and calling it dinner (with a side of this Italian salad of course)!
ESPECIALLY when baking the potato takes around 35 minutes instead of an hour. The secret is in cutting the potatoes in half and baking them that way. I use this technique when cooking full sweet potatoes (for these delicious loaded sweet potatoes) and the method works perfectly with russet potatoes as well. In fact, I’ve never had a tastier baked potato; the edges get slightly caramelized, the skin is perfectly crispy, and the inside is light & fluffy.
The other important “secret” to these potatoes is make sure you don’t skip the seasonings! Potatoes need salt and pepper. You can of course reduce if you’re sensitive to salt or pepper, but, if you’re wanting more flavor, it could be as simple as adding another sprinkle of salt and pepper.
How to make baked potatoes (in the oven)
The descriptions below correlate with the photo collage beneath the text
- Wash and cut: throughly scrub the potato to remove any dirt or debris. Dry the potato and then cut exactly in half.
- Poke: poke holes all over the skin side of the potato using the tines of a fork – about 3 to 4 times. Make sure you pierce more than just the skin, it should go into the flesh.
- Add oil: add oil to the potatoes. Drizzle it on evenly and then…
- Rub oil into the potatoes: even rub the oil into BOTH sides of the potatoes.
- Season: add salt and pepper to both sides of the potatoes and then, again, rub into both sides of the potatoes.
- Flip the potatoes face down: and bake!
How long to bake a potato
A baked potato HALF will take anywhere from 30-50 minutes in the oven depending on many different factors.
Those factors include the size of the potatoes and the actual temperature of the oven, how many potatoes are being baked together in the oven, how fresh the potatoes are, etc.
So the best way to tell your potato done is by simply inserting a fork through the potato. If it slides in easily, the potato is cooked through. If the fork hits resistance, give the potatoes an additional 5 minutes and continue to check every 5 minutes until the potatoes are done. Remember when you open your oven to check the potatoes, you lose a lot of oven heat, so check quickly and get the oven closed as fast as possible.
Baked potato FAQs
Can you bake potatoes ahead of time?
You certainly can! They won’t be as good as made fresh, but still pretty great! Here’s how you do it: bake according to the recipe and then let the potatoes cool. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and when ready to eat, reheat in the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the potato for 15-20 minutes or until sufficiently warmed through.
Topping your potato
- Keeping it simple: butter, salt, and pepper (a perfect side dish!)
- Jazzed up a bit more: with the above additions, add freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese), cooked and crumbled bacon, green onion or chives, and a scoop of sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- Hearty meal: add a broccoli cheddar cheese sauce or a few scoops of this famous crockpot chili
- Taco potato: add taco meat (from these taco lettuce wraps), cheddar cheese, fresh lime, and sour cream
- Sloppy joe potato: add the meat from this sloppy joe recipe
- BBQ: add leftover BBQ pulled pork or chicken
- Vegetarian: add seasoned baked beans and cheddar cheese
And if you’re serving a crowd, you can make a baked potato bar. Set out all the toppings, bake the potatoes, and let guests chose how to top them!
More veggie side dishes
- Roasted Vegetables
- Reader Favorite! Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Roasted Broccoli
- Savory and Sweet Variations: Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Carrots
THE secret to perfect baked potatoes in a fraction of the time: cutting them in half! That's right, we roast potato halves instead of full potatoes. Not only do they take less time, they also have perfect caramelized edges and a soft fluffy interior.
- 4 (evenly sized) russet potatoes (6-9 ounces in size) Note 1
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, separated
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper, separated
- Serve with your favorite toppings such as: freshly grated cheddar cheese, butter, green onions or chives, sour cream, cooked & crumbled bacon, etc.
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OVEN: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large dark sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Don't skip the parchment paper, it really helps the potatoes cook evenly without the cut side getting too hard.
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CLEAN POTATOES: Throughly scrub the potatoes in COLD water. Clean to remove all the dirt and any debris. Completely dry the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
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PREP POTATOES: Place the potatoes flesh side down on the sheet pan. Pierce each back side of the potato 3 to 4 times with the tines of a fork. Flip the potatoes flesh side up. Drizzle the oil over all the potatoes and take your time to rub the oil into both sides of the potatoes so all parts of the potatoes are sufficiently covered. Evenly sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon of salt over all the potatoes (3/4 teaspoon for ALL potatoes not each). Add 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the flesh sides of the potatoes. Now flip again so the potatoes flesh side down. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over all the skins of the potatoes and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper on the skins.
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BAKE: Bake (flesh side down) for 35-45 minutes, checking at 35 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork into the biggest potato. If it goes in easily, the potatoes are ready! If not, add an additional 5 minutes. Cook until fork tender, checking every 5 minutes.
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ENJOY: Remove from the oven and serve with favorite toppings. We like a pat of butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions or chives. See the blog post for more ideas! Make sure to taste the potatoes and add additional salt and pepper as needed
Note 1: I have also tested this recipe with potatoes that are 9-13 ounces in size. Add an additional tablespoon of oil and they bake for about 10 minutes longer. You'll also likely want to add an additional sprinkle of salt and pepper on the baked potatoes (taste first). Also, while you can cook more than 4 potatoes at a time, remember the more potatoes on the sheet pan, the longer the overall cooking time will be.
Keeva says
November 5, 2019 at 9:35 amLove your simple, but delicious recipes. So glad I found your page last year. Keep up the excellent work!
Chelsea Lords says
November 6, 2019 at 6:21 amAwe thank you so much Keeva! That means so much to me 🙂
MARTIN says
November 6, 2019 at 4:09 ami DO BAKED POTATOES IN AIR FRYER, AVERAGE TIME 20 MINUTES, WHOLE POTATOES TASTE AWESOME, TRY IT
Chelsea Lords says
November 6, 2019 at 6:19 amAwesome! I don’t have an air fryer, but when I do I’ll have to give that a go 🙂
martin says
November 7, 2019 at 5:48 amChelsea, an air fryer is the absolutely best thing for all sorts of cooking. You can even make perfect hardboiled eggs in one roast whole chicken frozen pizza, I could go on and on. My daughter got me one for Christmas last year and I use it almost every day. I am constantly finding new uses for it. And they are quite reasonable now. You can find them for 50.00 on Amazon. I tell you once you try one you will be hooked,hugz, Martie
Chelsea Lords says
November 7, 2019 at 7:09 pmThanks Martie!! I think you’ve convinced me 🙂 I’ve been wanting to try one for a bit, sounds like a great addition to my kitchen 🙂 Appreciate your comment!
Shirleen Holmes says
November 7, 2019 at 8:38 amMmmm, less time and still delicious, thanks for sharing all your great recipes and tips😁
Chelsea Lords says
November 7, 2019 at 7:07 pmThanks so much Shirleen! 🙂 Appreciate your comment and support!
Kim says
November 7, 2019 at 6:27 pmMy mother did her potatoes this way. The only thing she did differently was she topped them with butter and not oil as they baked. They were the best! She passed when I was 12. I am now 50. Thank you for reminding me of this.
Chelsea Lords says
November 7, 2019 at 7:07 pmWhat a sweet tribute; thanks so much for sharing Kim! <3 And butter does sound good!