What do you think of when you think about baked potatoes? I used to think of school cafeteria lunch with bright yellow shredded cheese, fake bacon, and a mouth full of bland potatoes.

This memory had me avoiding baked taters until a cold day a couple of months ago. All I had in the kitchen were some sweet potatoes. I wanted to use the oven, so I decided to see what Mr. Bittman had to say on the topic of baked potatoes. Et tu Mark? There it was- russet potatoes. Why does every recipe for baked or mashed potatoes recommend the use of russets? They all insist that these yield the fluffiest texture. But it’s not true. Good potatoes yield good baked and mashed potatoes. Russets are mealy and dry- the equivalent of a Washington Red apple. I won’t judge you if you decide to use them, but know that you don’t have to. 

So back to that cold day. I did follow Bittman’s other instructions to scrub the potato, dry, poke a few holes, coat with olive oil, and rub with coarse salt. I put it in the oven for about an hour at 450. It was a revelation. The sweet potato oozed its sugar through the holes, caramelizing bits of skin. I cut it open and dressed simply with a pat of butter and some salt flakes. 

Today, I tried the same with a purple sweet potato. I’m feeling fancy so I’m smearing it with leftover miso-sesame paste. Pictured with leftover farro and roasted butternut squash. 

Don’t let "the experts” force you into using mediocre potatoes. You know best.

Baked Potato a la Bittman sans russet

Pre-heat oven to 450

Wash, scrub, and dry potatoes (literally any kind except russets)

Poke a few holes in the taters. Drizzle with olive oil. Rub some coarse sea salt on them. 

Bake for about an hour. Smaller ones might only need 40 minutes.