American · Dinner

Loaded Baked Potato

A potato baked until the skin is crisp and the inside floury, split and filled with butter, cheese, bacon and soured cream.

1 hr 25 min total Serves 4 servings Easy
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Loaded Baked Potato

Photograph credit: Loaded baked potato by Red Lobster Lover Joe twitter:RLLoverJoe · Public Domain Mark 1.0 · Flickr

Loaded Baked Potato: Step by Step

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  1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 430°F.

  2. Scrub the potatoes and dry them thoroughly.

  3. Prick each one 6 times with a fork.

  4. Rub all over with the oil and then the coarse salt.

  5. Put them straight onto the oven shelf, with a tray underneath to catch drips. Do not wrap them.

  6. Bake 75 minutes, until the skin is dry and crisp and a skewer slides through with no resistance.

  7. Split each one open along the top the moment it comes out and let the steam escape.

  8. Fluff the inside with a fork and add a knob of butter, letting it melt in.

  9. Pile in the cheese, then the soured cream, spring onions, pepper and chives.

  10. Serve at once, while the skin is still crisp.

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Things to Watch For

  1. No foil. Ever.
  2. Straight onto the shelf, so hot air reaches all sides.
  3. Split immediately or the inside goes waxy.

Changing the Recipe

  • Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.

A Little Background

Rub the skin with oil and coarse salt and bake it directly on the oven shelf with nothing wrapped round it. Foil traps steam and gives you a soft, damp skin, which is the opposite of the point — dry heat all round is what makes the skin crackle. Prick it first, and split it the moment it comes out so the steam escapes and the inside stays floury rather than turning waxy.

What to Serve It With

Baked beans · Coleslaw · A green salad

Keeping Loaded Baked Potato

Best fresh. Reheat in a 200°C / 390°F oven for 15 minutes to bring the skin back.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

647Calories
17gProtein
57gCarbs
39gFat
7gFibre
4gSugar
1440mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .