The Versatile Baked Potato

Recently while visiting our local Farmer's Market, I bought a few baking potatoes. Although there were many potato varieties sold, I chose safe & well-proven Russet potato. Baking potatoes is simple enough, but I was pleasantly surprised with a large array of potato toppings available. Even though I had my baked potatoes several times that week, I never got bored.

Baked potato with avocado, chopped green onion, sour cream & smoked pork jowl from our local Farmer's market

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Clean potatoes with a stiff-bristled brush under running water. Remove any bruised or miscolored spots. Prickle each potato several times using a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Dry potatoes with paper towels & then lightly coat them with olive oil. Bake them in preheated oven in the middle rack over a baking sheet for about 60-85", or until the skin is golden-brown & potatoes are soft when poked.

Baked potato with king salmon caviar (thanks, Awers), sour cream & chopped fresh dill

Almost anything can be served on top of a baked potato. Some topping ideas include:

- Sour cream, butter
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped fresh herbs such as dill, cilantro or basil
- Chopped green onions
- Pulled pork, bacon, ham, grilled chicken or steak
- Baked or smoked salmon
- Beans
- Chopped fresh or sundried tomatoes
- Chopped avocado or guacamole
- Salsa
- Pesto
- Pickled or cultured vegetables

Baked potato with pickled mushrooms, sour cream, Trader Joe's nitrite-free bacon & chopped green onions