I love perfectly baked potatoes. Nothing is better than a crispy seasoned skin and an inside so creamy and moist you don’t even have to add butter. Impossible, you say? Try this, then we’ll talk.

I picked up this technique from my time at the Barrel, Cracker that is. Jamie and I both worked there. In fact, that’s where we met. I was a server and he worked in the gift shop. He would always volunteer to go check on to-go orders as an excuse to come see me, and I would always fight to take the to-go orders up front so I could sneak a peak at him. If you ever called in a to-go at The Cracker Barrel on Harding Place in Nashville, you may have helped bring Jamie and me together.

Anyway, one magical night at the Barrel I saw something that changed my life, and this time I’m not talking about when I met Jamie. I’m talking potatoes. I saw the prep cook preparing the potatoes for baking. She was smearing them with shortening then sprinkling them with salt and pepper. That was my baked potato a-ha moment. I went home and tried it, and it was amazing. The skin was delightfully crispy, and it was so moist, for the first time I didn’t have to add butter.

Just to be clear, I like my baked potato insides the consistency of mashed potatoes–runny mashed potatoes. I need lots of butter and/or sour cream. I’ve even used ketchup in a pinch. But when you smear the skin of the potato with a fat, you seal in the moisture. The result is the creamiest baked potato you’ve ever eaten. Some people prick the skin before cooking, but that just lets the moisture out. If you like creamy potatoes like me, you want all the moisture inside that you can get. I’ve tried shortening, butter, and coconut oil. They all yield similar results, so if you try it, pick your favorite. Lately, I’ve been choosing coconut oil. It adds a subtle nutty flavor.

The salt and pepper on the skin is important because–trust me– you’re going to want to eat the skin, even if you think you’re not a skin person. It’s that good. Don’t even think about wrapping them in foil. That just makes for soggy skin at which even the dog will turn up his nose.

The next part of the secret to perfectly baked potatoes is that you have to cook them for at least an hour and a half. The longer the better. There are no microwave shortcuts to a perfectly baked potato. The only way is hours in the oven, and it’s worth the wait.

For serving, cut a slit longways, just on the top, only about halfway down (not all the way through) then push together from each end of the slit. this will leave a pocket for your toppings. Now, like I said, you won’t have to add butter and sour cream for creaminess, but life is better with butter and sour cream. And a little cheese and bacon couldn’t hurt either. When I order baked potatoes out, and the servers ask me what I would like on it, I like to say,  “Anything you can find back there.” So far no one has taken me up on the challenge. One day I’d like to see someone throw a jalapeño slice on top for me. You can use the usual toppings on yours, but feel free to get creative with your perfect potato.

Prove the impossible is attainable and give this baked potato method a try. You’ll be very impressed with your culinary prowess!

Perfectly Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

Potatoes (as many as you like)

Coconut oil, shortening, or butter

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Take a spoonful at a time of your chosen fat, and using your hands, cover all the nooks and crannies of the potato. Place the greased potatoes in a baking dish, sprinkle salt and pepper all over the potatoes. Bake for 1.5 – 2 hours.