perfect salt baked potatoes

Jacksonville, FL
Updated on May 30, 2012

I've been on a long and potato filled journey searching for the perfect baked potato for some time now. I might have found it recently... or at least nearly. The same method that's been used for ages to bake fish has a similarly mystical effect on the common russet. The salt super heats all around the spud, holding moisture in while keeping the skin from burning or hardening. It allows you to cook at high temperatures for a long period of time without fear of losing a drop of moisture. Awesome! The insides of these potatoes are like butter, and the outside crisp and perfect!

prep time 5 Min
cook time 1 Hr 30 Min
method Bake
yield 4 serving(s)

Ingredients

  • 4 - russet potatoes (baking potatoes)
  • 2 pounds salt (basically two containers)
  • 1 - full garlic bulb
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon finely diced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

How To Make perfect salt baked potatoes

  • Step 1
    Preheat oven to 450'F
  • Step 2
    With a vegetable brush rinse and scrub down 4 russet potatoes. Set on a paper towel to dry completely.
  • Step 3
    In a 13X9X2 inch baking dish pour out your salt and spread evenly. Bury your three rosemary sprigs in the salt in three separate locations. Make sure there is a decent amount of space between sprigs.
  • Step 4
    Take your garlic and clean off the outer layer of papers from it. With a sharp knife cut just the very tip-pity top of the garlic bulb off to expose a bit of the garlic's flesh.
  • Step 5
    Set the garlic bulb in a corner of the pan, burying it in the salt a tiny bit.
  • Step 6
    Take each cleaned and dried potato and bury in half way in the salt. DO NOT COMPLETELY COVER... only half way, sort of nestled in there. Make sure there is at least an inch in between each potato.
  • Step 7
    Cover the baking dish with foil and seal tightly.
  • Step 8
    Bake on the center wrack for 75 minutes.
  • Step 9
    After the 75 minutes, take the baking dish out of the oven. Remove the garlic bulb (carefully, it hot!) and set it aside.
  • Step 10
    Raise oven temperature to 500'F
  • Step 11
    Brush the top of each potato with extra virgin olive oil.
  • Step 12
    Put baking dish back in oven for 15 minutes.
  • Step 13
    Meanwhile, once garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb. It will come out like a paste.
  • Step 14
    Cream your butter with the garlic paste.
  • Step 15
    Finely mince a teaspoon of fresh rosemary. Pour it in the butter. Add pepper to the butter and mix.
  • Step 16
    Remove potatoes once they are done, let cool for 5 minutes then carefully remove from salt. The salt will be molten hot, be careful!
  • Step 17
    With a clean dish towel wipe excess salt off the potatoes. Serve with garlic butter! Yum!

Discover More

Category: Vegetables
Category: Potatoes
Keyword: #Garlic
Keyword: #potato
Keyword: #roasted
Keyword: #Bake
Keyword: #baked
Keyword: #rosemary
Keyword: #salt
Keyword: #Salted
Keyword: #packed
Method: Bake
Ingredient: Potatoes

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