Starting baked potatoes in the microwave and finishing them in the oven cuts cooking time and still yields crisp skin and fluffy potato flesh. Recipe of sorts below.
WE END THE YEAR WITH A SIMPLE POTATO, and that feels somehow appropriate. Because while you’ll find plenty of recipes here designed to impress, just as often, the focus is getting good food on the table quickly, simply. Such as this baked potato.
We love potatoes in all forms here—mashed, pan roasted wedges, potato salads, in soups and stews… But delicious as it is, the elegantly simple baked potato seldom sees action in our kitchen. It’s usually relegated to being a nice find on an old school restaurant menu (the last one I remember was on our road trip this fall, at the Mill Street Grill in Staunton, Virginia).
The problem is time. Baked potatoes take too long to be weeknight friendly for us. By the time you heat the oven and get them going, you’re well on the plus side of an hour or more. Some recipes call for as much as 90 minutes.
For a while, we embraced the plastic-wrapped microwave “baking” potatoes you’ll find in some supermarkets. The plastic wrap is apparently breathable, allowing some of the steam to escape. They’re nice and fast, and almost baked. But not quite. The flesh isn’t as fluffy, and the skin has zero crispness.
But that gave me an idea. What if you microwaved the potato for a while, then finished it in the oven? In theory, you would end up with a satisfyingly authentic baked potato, in less time. A little research showed that, as with most of my ideas, I was not the first to have it.
So here’s how we’re enjoying baked potatoes these days—on weeknights, no less. From firing up the oven to cutting open piping hot, fluffy potatoes and dressing them with butter or sour cream or whatever, you’re looking at 40 minutes max. Just enough time to cook some fish, chicken breasts or chops, and toss a salad.
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Half-baked Potatoes
Starting baked potatoes in the microwave and finishing them in the oven cuts cooking time and still yields crisp skin and fluffy potato flesh.
Servings 2(can be doubled, halved, etcetera—see Kitchen Notes)
Ingredients
2russet potatoes, at least 8 ounces each(see Kitchen Notes)
olive oil
coarse salt, such as kosher salt or sea salt
butter, sour cream, margarine or whatever toppings your heart desires
Preheat oven to 375ºF. While oven heats, scrub potatoes under cold water, dry with a towel and pierce a few times on each side with a fork. Place potatoes on a microwavable plate and microwave for 6 minutes, turning halfway through the process.
Brush potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt, pressing it gingerly against the potatoes (be careful, they are already hot). Bake on an open oven rack, with a lined baking sheet on a rack below (we like using our nonstick Cookina baking sheet liners, but foil or parchment will also work); the potatoes will drip just a little oil or moisture from the pierced potato itself, and you don’t want this to burn onto the oven floor.
Bake potatoes for 25 to 30 minutes, until they pierce easily with a sharp knife and the skins are crisp. Serve with your favorite potato toppings.
Kitchen Notes
One potato, two potato, three potato, more? This recipe is for two potatoes. It would also work for one. As you add more potatoes, you either need to increase microwaving time or do them in batches. At some point, you lose the time-saving advantages of microwaving.
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Cook times can also depend on the size and starch levels of the potato. When cooking larger potatoes, consider cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces. Cutting the potatoes should cut the cook time by half in some cases.
With a fork, stab each potato in the center once, then flip it over and stab it on the other side. This allows steam to vent as the potato cooks. Microwave the potatoes on high for 5 to 6 minutes for up to 2 potatoes, 10 to 12 minutes for 4 potatoes.
Reheating a baked potato in the microwave may be the quickest method, but it can result in dried-out potatoes if you aren't careful. To prevent that, cut the potato in half, place it in a microwave-safe dish, and cover each half with a damp paper towel—heat for two to three minutes or until the potato is heated.
Microwave on HIGH 4 minutes. Carefully turn the potato over, and microwave 3 minutes longer. To make multiple potatoes, add 1 minute of cooking time per side per potato. Test for doneness with a fork; if it slides in easily, it's done.
Instructions. Scrub potatoes, but don't peel them (or do peel them, if you wish). Cut into chunky, bite-sized pieces. Place in a microwave-safe dish, add 1 tablespoon of water, partially cover with a lid or waxed paper and microwave for 3 minutes.
Just wash the potato, poke some holes in the skin with a fork, and microwave for 5–7 minutes depending on the size. There's no reason to wrap it in plastic or add water or whatnot.
Because a microwave steams the inside of the potato rather than baking it from the outside, the resulting potato has a fluffier inner texture. The only downside of microwaving potatoes is that the skin gets soggy and doesn't have the crispy texture that you get from the oven.
If your potato came out of the microwave hard it's likely over-cooked. Over-cooking a potato can cause it to lose its moisture which is what creates that light and fluffy texture. Be sure you're cooking the potato for the recommended time depending on its size!
Don't microwave for too long: Overcooking the potato can cause it to become dry and overcooked. To avoid this, be sure to check the potato for doneness every few minutes and stop the microwave when the potato is soft and yields to the fork.
Place the potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel or dish towel to keep them moist while they cook. Microwave the potatoes on high. Start with five minutes for one potato and add two minutes to the cook time for every additional potato you're microwaving at once.
Pierce 3 to 4 times with a fork. Step 2Place potato on microwave-safe plate and microwave 7 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. If your potato isn't fork-tender after 7 minutes, continue microwaving in 1 minute increments until fully cooked. Let rest for 2 minutes.
Prep – using a fork, poke holes in each potato. Then, wrap each potato in a damp paper towel. Microwave – place the paper towel-wrapped potatoes in the microwave and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
Thin potato slices would cook faster than a whole potato due to more favorable heat transfer, thanks to their greater surface area relative to their volume.
So I started experimenting on my own and found that starting from a whole potato meant that the outside parts were always done before the inside. There is also a part of the cell structure that runs right down the middle or length of each potato that is sometimes takes a little longer to be fully cooked.
For one thing, the microwave slightly dries out a potato, making it easier to crisp it up later. The other: it cooks a potato incredibly fast. The reason it works so well? Microwaves just happen to be great at heating up water molecules, and a potato consists of a lot of water.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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