Crispy Baked Potatoes

What is better than a simple jacket spud? A crispy baked potato. The crispiest of crispy baked potatoes with cheese and tuna (or whatever toppings you want).

This is a recipe for a quick and easy baked potato. The initial cook takes place in the microwave and then can be finished in the oven or on the BBQ.

Introduction to this Baked Potato Recipe

A simple potato is one of the staple dishes in the British food menu. While a spud can be good, when the skin has a crispy crunch to it then they become a next level snack.

Ingredients for a baked potato recipe

This dish can be served along side other foods as an alternative to chips, pasta or rice and works well with lots of different foods. However the best thing about the potato is that it can stand up as a dish in its own right too.

Baked Potato fillings ideas

The following toppings work really well with a crispy baked potato:

• Butter - melted butter is a really nice way to further soften up the potato.
• Beans - Baked beans heated up and then poured on the top makes a tasty lunch time meal.
• Cheese (grated) - Try different types of cheese to see which works best for you. Mozzarella is a stringy cheese and tastes amazing on a potato.
• Tuna
• Red onion
• Egg mayonnaise - optional plain old egg mayo or even egg mayo with a pickle finish.

How to cook the perfect baked potato

This is such a simple dish. Microwave and then oven. To get started, preheat your oven to full blast (240℃ should do it) then follow the below steps.

Cooking the baked potato in a microwave

Stab the potato 3 or 4 times and place on a piece of kitchen roll in the microwave. Microwave on full power for around 5 - 8 minutes until the potato is cooked in the middle.

To know it's done cooking you'll find it is easy to poke a fork. You may need to turn the potatoes over half way through cooking. For ease with microwave cooking, try a microwave stand to place the potatoes on. If you don't have one, just place on kitchen roll.

If cooking more than 2 potatoes or they are larger spuds, the time might be nearer 10 to 12 minutes.

Cooking the baked potato in the oven

Place the potatoes in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Again, turn it over half way through. You can go a longer cooking time if you want a more crispy skin - up to 40 minutes works well.

For ease, you could put them in along side another oven dish such as this oven baked salmon dish which takes a similar time.

Cooking on the coals

You can always wrap a potato in foil and throw it on the BBQ coals. Leave it for an hour or so and you'll get a really tasty crispy spud at the end of it all. For help and advice setting up a charcoal BBQ then take a look at my charcoal 101 post for more information.

Log burner baked potato recipe

Do you have a log burner? Did you know you can create a crispy baked potato by coating with a splash of oil, salt and pepper then wrapping it in foil. Place in the log burner (near the fire but not on the flames) and leave it for an hour.

For ease, you could use a cast iron baked potato holder to place it in the fire with. These potato pans are available from plenty of online stores and while they are not low cost, they are great value for money. As they are cast iron they will last a long time.

Something like this cast iron potato pan would make a great gift for a keen BBQ cook or someone who has recently invested in a log burner.

How to serve a baked potato at a BBQ

If you plan to eat the baked potatoes as a part of a BBQ party then I recommend serving the potatoes on their own and having a selection of dips and toppings available on the side. Ensuring you have adequate side dishes for a BBQ means guests will have a selection of choices and be able to pick and choose what they would like on their dish.

Crispy Baked Potatoes on a BBQ

Try these BBQ dishes to accompany the potatoes. These recipes work well as a main dish for a BBQ or complement a potato side.

The Recipe

Crispy Baked Potato

The crispiest of crispy baked potato

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Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: American, British

Keyword: cheese, oven, potato, quick, snack, tuna

Prep Time: 8 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 person

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Martin (Dad What Cooks)

Cost: £1

Ingredients

• 1 Large baking potato

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to full blast (240℃ should do it)
• Stab the potato 3 or 4 times and place on a piece of kitchen roll in the microwave. Microwave on full power for around 5 - 8 minutes until the potato is cooked in the middle. It will be easy to put a fork in once cooked.

  You may need to turn it over half way through cooking.
  
• Once microwaved, put it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Again, turn it over half way through.
• When cooked, the potato should feel crispy. Cut it in half to make room for the filling.
  
• Add some butter and toppings and serve immediately.

Notes

You can do more than one potato at a time of course. The time they go in the microwave may need to increase as follows:

1 Potato - 5-8 mins

2 Potato - 5-8 mins

3 Potato - 7-10 mins

4.

5 Potato - 7-10 mins

6 Potato - 7-10 mins

7 Potato - 8-12 mins

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Nutrition

Serving: 91g | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg