Restaurant Style Loaded Baked Potatoes

In the fourth grade, I was recruited into a group called “HAMS.” It stood for “highly abled music students.” I was surprised and flattered since I didn't consider myself particularly music inclined. In HAMS, we sung a song about baked potatoes. It goes like this:

Come and get your baked potato, baked potato, baked potato

Come and get your baked potato

Careful, it may be hot.

Add some butter, salt and pepper, salt and pepper, salt and pepper

Add some butter, salt and pepper

Careful, it may be hot.

Really involved, challenging stuff right there.

Yet I still remember the song, and feel compelled to sing it each time I make baked potatoes. 

Call me silly, but you too may be finding yourself singing the praises of baked potatoes once you make these babies. They taste like they're straight of of your favorite steakhouse. And they're super easy!

Here's how you get perfect restaurant style baked potatoes every time.  

Restaurant Style Loaded Baked Potatoes

Adapted from: I Wash...You Dry

Ingredients

• medium sized russet potatoes
• sea salt
• olive oil
• toppings of Choice (I used grated cheese--montery jack & cheddar, chives, bacon, salt and pepper) Other ideas: sour cream, butter, chile, diced tomatoes, broccoli, etc.

Preheat your oven to 375 and scrub all of the dirt off of the potatoes. Then pat them dry. Poke each potato 4 or 5 times in different places with a fork. Then brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a generous pinch of sea salt on each.

Place the potatoes directly on the oven racks and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a fork pierces the potato with little resistance.  

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes or until you can handle them comfortably. Cut lengthwise across the top, leaving about ½ inch on each side. (Do not slice in half)

Now this is the part that makes the potato look plump and super cute—using both hands, pinch each side of the potato and push toward the center of the potato, forcing it to open up. Keep pushing and squeeze the insides up. It might take a couple of tries to master the technique.  

Mmm and now you have an adorable, crispy-skinned potato ready for all of the fixins!

I topped mine and Lover's with cheddar and montery jack cheese, bacon and chives. Then I popped it back in the oven for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and melty. The possibilities are endless!