Perfect Baked Potatoes

That's right. I said it. Perfect. Seriously. We lived in Germany when I was in high school and ate at a lot of great german restaurants. My mom once asked an older german lady how she got her potatoes to taste so great and she actually shared her secret. Sure enough, next time we made baked potatoes my mom did what she said and voila! Success! Now, I'm going to share that secret with you. Here's what you need:

Baking Potatoes

Olive Oil

Salt

Here's what you do:

Scrub your potatoes clean. I actually use a scrubber for this because I like to eat the whole potato...I know, weirdo. Once they are washed and scrubbed, dry them off with a paper towel or dish rag. Pour a palm full of Olive Oil into your hand and coat the outside of each potato. You may need to do this more than once depending on how many potatoes you are making. I typically make 3 at a time and one palm full is enough for that. Place your potatoes on a baking stone or pan and cover with freshly ground sea salt. Sea salt really does work best but if you don't have it then just cover with regular salt.

Bake your potatoes UNCOVERED, UNFOILED, just as they are with olive oil and salt on them at 400° for one hour. If you have really large potatoes you may need to bake an extra 15 minutes. Potatoes should 'give' when you push on them. What happens when you bake them with the foil on, is the potatoes basically boil inside the foil. Too much water gets trapped inside and you end up with bland potatoes with a weird consistency. Trust me on this one.

If you don't listen, you're likely to end up with potatoes like this...

(Ha! I jest.)

Best.Baked.Potatoes.Ever.