This simple, perfect baked potato has a pillowy interior, haphazard pats of melting butter, dollops of tangy ranch dip, salty cheddar cheese, and pops of ground black pepper.
inspiration
Insomnia runs in my family. When I’m not sleeping well—a frequent occurrence—I have very little discipline in making myself get up. The weekends turn into minefields of guilt (how did I let myself sleep until one pm again?) and rushing (I have a lot to get done and now much less time to do it). On one of these more recent Sundays, I spent the afternoon rushing through my to-do list: laundry, taking down Christmas a month late, washing the pile of Depression Dishes that inevitably appears when my mental health isn’t at its peak. By the time dinner rolled around, I didn’t want to spend any time chopping potatoes or frying eggs, both of which had been in the plan. All I wanted to do was to lie on my couch, watch some more Bones before the workweek started, and try to figure out how to make myself sleep at a reasonable hour again.
Baking the potatoes was an obvious, low-effort choice. There would be no chopping involved and they’d be easy to reheat. What to put on them, on the other hand, was a little less obvious. I had no meat of any kind, no onions, and hardly anything that I didn’t need for other meals.
I went with what I could spare: a bag of grated sharp cheddar cheese, some leftover sour cream-based ranch dip, and, of course, the nonnegotiable butter, salt, and pepper.
If you’re saying That sounds really boring, then, well, I agree with you. I was not optimistic in the slightest that this would be anything more than a barebones sustenance meal.
I knew I was wrong before I even took a bite.
why i love this recipe
Before this, I staunchly believed that, when it came to potatoes, the more toppings the better. As it turns out, potatoes don’t need a ton of different toppings to shine. What I thought would be a deeply boring, function-only dinner had me scraping every last bit off my plate and rushing to my laptop to write about it. That pillowy, soft, earthy interior; the haphazard pats of melting butter and dollops of herby, tangy ranch dip; salty cheddar cheese; pops of ground black pepper. I’m on the verge of writing poetry about it.
There are endless nights when this potato would be perfect: cold winter ones, when the snow is pressing up against the windows; busy ones, when you have spent the whole day running around and you cannot bear to do much else; tired ones, when you just want something easy and hearty to sit in front of Netflix with; and nights when you don’t have a lot of money left and you’re running low on food. I really can’t think of a situation this simple, perfect baked potato wouldn’t be good for.
When you look at the ingredients list—short, unspecific—you will think I’ve lost my mind. Trust me. Sometimes simple is perfect.
details
Part of the charm of this recipe is that most of the cook time is hands-off. The only thing you really have to do is prep the potatoes: wash them well, prick them with a fork or a knife (I do three pricks on each side) and rub them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Olive oil will get on your hands, but that’s okay. It’s good for your skin. All this takes five minutes or less.
In the oven, the insides of the potato will get soft and fluffy while the skin crisps up. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and let the steam out for a minute or two while you grab the toppings. I like to make a grid of cuts in the potato, but you don’t have to. (I’m not even sure why I do. My dad always does it.)
Be generous with the butter, ranch dip, salt, and pepper. This is not a time to be reserved. And don’t leave the skin behind—it’s extremely tasty, has a lot of nutrients, and provides a nice contrast to the soft, fluffy potato insides.
notes
- If you can, choose big russet potatoes with as few eyes and blemishes as you can find. You can cut those off if you need to, though.
- If you still use that fine, pre-ground pepper, I am begging you to stop. Pepper grinders are so cheap and it’s about 2 seconds’ more work for way better flavor.
- DO NOT get ranch dressing mix. It needs to be dip mix. They are not interchangeable. (I learned this the hard way.)
- Baked potatoes will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave—how long will highly depend on the size of the potato and the strength of your microwave, so play it by ear. Cutting them open helps it go faster.
Looking for another easy, low-effort dinner? Try grilled pb & j with cinnamon honey butter, everything chicken, broccoli & cheese bake, or sheet pan gnocchi with pesto & vegetables.
a simple, perfect baked potato
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato per person
- olive oil
- salt & ground pepper
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 packet ranch dip mix
- butter at least 1 tbsp per person
- shredded sharp cheddar to taste
Instructions
- Prepare and bake potatoes. Preheat ovento 425F. Thoroughly wash the potatoes (be sure to scrub off any dirt) and prick holes in them with a fork. Rub potatoes with a generous drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until tender. While potatoes are baking, make ranch dip and chill for 30 minutes.
- Assemble potatoes. Cut potatoes in half. Be generous with the butter, the salt and pepper, the ranch dip, the cheddar. If you happen to have some chives lying around, that would be excellent, too, but is certainly not necessary.
Notes
- If you can, choose big russet potatoes with as few eyes and blemishes as you can find. You can cut those off if you need to, though.
- If you still use that fine, pre-ground pepper, I am begging you to stop. Pepper grinders are so cheap and it’s about 2 seconds’ more work for way better flavor.
- DO NOT get ranch dressing mix. It needs to be dip mix. They are not interchangeable. (I learned this the hard way.)
- Baked potatoes will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave—how long will highly depend on the size of the potato and the strength of your microwave, so play it by ear. Cutting them open helps it go faster.