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    In the Kitch » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Updated: Mar 14, 2024 · Published: Sep 10, 2018 by Joss Dyckson · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    How to Bake Potatoes in the Oven 3 Ways

    Jump to Recipe

    In this recipe, you will learn three of the best methods for baking potatoes to perfection in the oven. Master the techniques of baking them directly on the oven rack, wrapping them in foil, and crafting them into aesthetic Hasselback-style creations.

    Loaded yellow potato on plate with fork.

    Baked potatoes are the perfect side dish to meat such as carne asada, grilled bison steaks, braised beef and much more. But you can also make the potato the center of the meal depending on the toppings you add; a loaded potato or two is enough for me.

    Jump to:
    • Directly on the Oven Rack
    • In Foil
    • Hasselback Style
    • Pro Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage
    • Baked Potato FAQs
    • More Cooking Tutorials to Sharpen Your Skills
    • 📋Recipe

    Directly on the Oven Rack

    Baking potatoes directly on the oven rack without foil is easy and will result in a crispier skin.

    Ingredients

    Baked potatoes ingredients prepped on wooden board and labeled.
    • potatoes - you can use your favorite potatoes like red, yellow or white but I used russet for this tutorial
    • butter - one tablespoon for each potato

    *Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.

    Steps

    Potatoes getting prepped for baking image collage.

    Step #1. Clean the potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Clean the potatoes well and then dry them with a kitchen towel (Image 1).

    Step #2. Prick potatoes. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork (Image 2).

    Step #3. Bake. Place the potatoes on the middle oven rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes - until soft all the way through (Image 3).

    Step #4. Cool. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes (Image 4).

    Baked potato getting popped open steps collage.

    Step #5. Criss-cross. Puncture a criss-cross pattern into the top of each potato, using a fork (Image 5).

    Step #6. Pop it open. Pop it open by applying pressure to the ends of the potato with your fingers (Image 6).

    Step #7. Add butter. Add butter and fluff with a fork (Image 7).

    Step #8. Season. Season with salt and pepper (Image 8).

    Baked potato with butter, salt and pepper.

    Step #9. Serve. Serve and enjoy!

    Baked potato on plate with fork in it.

    In Foil

    Wrapping potatoes in foil will give them a softer skin instead of a crispy one. The foil will trap the heat and essentially steam the potato. Another foil pack side dish you could serve with this style of potato is my grilled asparagus in foil.

    Ingredients

    Baked potatoes in foil ingredients prepped on wooden board and labeled.
    • 4 Yukon Gold potatoes - also known as yellow potatoes--cleaned well and skin on
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 8 tablespoons sour cream - this equals ½ cup - 2 tablespoons per potato
    • 4 tablespoons bacon bits
    • 4 tablespoons fresh chives - chopped
    • salt and pepper - to taste

    Steps

    Bake potato in foil steps collage.

    Step #1. Prick potato. Preheat oven to 450°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork (Image 1).

    Step #2. Wrap in foil. Wrap the potatoes up in foil squares (Image 2).

    Step #3. Bake. Place directly on middle oven rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until soft all the way through (Image 3).

    Step #4. Cool. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes or until you can handle them (Image 4).

    Baked potato with butter and toppings steps collage.

    Step #5. Cut criss cross. Remove the foil and cut a criss-cross into the top of each potato using a fork (Image 5).

    Step #6. Pop it. Pop it open by squeezing the ends of the potato with your fingers (Image 6).

    Step #7. Add butter. Add butter (½ tablespoon butter for each potato) and let it melt into it as you fluff the potato with a fork (Image 7).

    Step #8. Add toppings. Top with sour cream, bacon bits, chives, salt and pepper (Image 8).

    Loaded baked potato on plate with fork.

    Step #9. Serve. Serve and enjoy!

    Loaded baked potato on plate.

    Hasselback Style

    Have you wanted to try your hand at Hasselback potatoes? The number of thin slices and perfect crispiness gives them an aesthetic look. Hasselbacks are delicious and a fast, creative way to serve potatoes, especially for a dinner party or holiday meal next to the bison chuck roast or roast chicken with blackberry gravy.

    The combination of Italian seasonings and aromatic olive oil in this recipe will bring this side dish to a new level as they crisp up in the oven and become infused with spices.

    Ingredients

    How to Bake Potatoes in the Oven - Step 1 image. basket of potatoes. inthekitch.net

    Prepare all ingredients before starting to cook. Preheat oven to 450ºF.

    • 4 potatoes
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • fresh herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary
    • freshly ground sea salt and pepper

    Steps

    Prepping of hasselback potatoes image collage.

    Step #1. Clean the potatoes. Wash and rinse the potatoes (don’t peel them). Dry them with a clean kitchen towel (Image 1).

    Step #2. Place potato on spoon. Place a potato on a large spoon (Image 2).

    Step #3. Slice the potato. Make very close slices into the potato until you reach the spoon, so the potato slices will hold together by the bottom. Do this all across the top of the potato. Repeat with remaining potatoes (Image 3).

    Step #4. Combine olive oil and herbs. Roughly chop the herbs. Mix the olive oil and fresh herbs together (Image 4).

    Hasselback style potatoes getting baked image collage.

    Step #5. Brush potatoes. Place the potatoes on a baking tray. Use a basting brush to spread the olive oil and herbs over the potatoes. Try to get into the slices as well with the oil (Image 5).

    Step #6. Season. Sprinkle them with freshly ground salt and pepper (Image 6).

    Step #7. Bake. Bake the potatoes until they are golden brown with crisp edges, about 60 minutes. This completely depends on the size of the potatoes. Keep an eye on them! If they are looking dry while baking, baste them with a little more olive oil - this makes them nice and crispy (Image 7).

    Step #8. Serve. Serve and enjoy (Image 8)!

    Pro Tips

    General:

    • It doesn't normally matter what side of the foil is on the outside of the potato, but always check the manufacturer's instructions on the box of foil, just in case.
    • If you don't poke holes into the potatoes, you run the risk of them exploding in the oven and creating a big mess. While this might not happen every time, it can and has happened to many cooks.
    • If you're baking the potatoes directly on the oven rack, make sure they are large enough to not fall through the grates.

    For the Hasselback potatoes:

    • If you don't have a large enough spoon for the potato, try placing chopsticks on either side of the potato to stop the knife from going right through. By placing the potato in a large spoon or on chopsticks, it is the best way to keep it stable and secure for the knife.
    • This stability provides a far safer option for creating such thin slices within the potato and doubles as an easy way to ensure the knife doesn’t cut completely through.
    • Personally, I just put the potato on the cutting board and start slicing from one end to the other, being careful not to go all the way through. But the spoon or the chopsticks can make it a lot easier for you; especially if you're a beginner.
    Baked russet potato on plate with salt and pepper.

    Serving Suggestions

    • Serve these delicious potatoes with meaty main dishes like my bison stew and bison short ribs, or lighter mains like blackened chicken and crispy skin-on salmon.
    • They also taste amazing covered in ham gravy.
    • For a bright, citrusy option, serve the potatoes with Greek lemon chicken thighs.

    Storage

    Baked potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Do not store them in the foil for food safety purposes.

    Baked Potato FAQs

    What are hasselback potatoes?

    A classic Hasselback potato is sliced through halfway to three-quarters across the top of the potato (before baking) in order to give it an aesthetic, fanned look while maintaining the structure of the whole potato.

    How long does it take to bake potatoes in the oven?

    It normally takes around 1 hour at 400°F to fully bake a potato, but the time will greatly vary depending on the size of the potato and the temperature of the oven. Bake the potatoes until they are tender all of the way through.

    How can you tell if potatoes are baked all the way through?

    You can check the potatoes for doneness by piercing them with a knife or fork. If there is little resistance, they are ready. You can also check if the internal temperature has reached 210°F.

    Baked russet potato on plate.

    More Cooking Tutorials to Sharpen Your Skills

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      How to Cook Asparagus on the Stove
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    If you tried this recipe tutorial for 🥔 How to Bake Potatoes in the Oven 3 Ways or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!

    📋Recipe

    Baked and stuffed potato on plate.

    How to Bake Potatoes in the Oven 3 Ways

    Joss Dyckson
    In this recipe, you will learn three of the best methods for how to bake potatoes to perfection in the oven. Master the techniques of baking them directly on the oven rack, wrapping them in foil, and crafting them into aesthetic Hasselback-style creations.
    5 from 3 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 229 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    Technique #1: Directly on the Oven Rack Without Foil

    • 4 large russet potatoes - cleaned and skin on
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • salt and pepper - to taste

    Technique #2: In Foil

    • 4 Yukon Gold potatoes - also known as yellow potatoes--cleaned and skin on
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 8 tablespoons sour cream - this equals ½ cup - 2 tablespoons per potato
    • 4 tablespoons bacon bits
    • 4 tablespoons fresh chives - chopped
    • salt and pepper - to taste

    Technique #3: Hasselback Style

    • 4 potatoes - cleaned and skin on
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • fresh thyme, oregano and rosemary
    • freshly ground sea salt and pepper - to taste

    Instructions
     

    Technique #1: Directly on the Oven Rack Without Foil

    • Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork so that they don't end up exploding in the oven.
      Russet potato in hand with fork.
    • Place on the middle oven rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes - until soft all the way through. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
      Baked potatoes on wooden board.
    • Cut a criss-cross into the top of the potato, using a fork.
      Fork piercing baked potato.
    • Pop it open with your fingers.
      Hands holding baked potato on cutting board.
    • Add butter and fluff with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
      Baked potato with butter.
    • Serve.
      Baked potato with butter, salt and pepper.

    Technique #2: In Foil

    • Preheat oven to 450°F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Wrap in foil squares.
      Potatoes in foil on marble counter.
    • Place directly on middle oven rack and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until soft all the way through.
      Baked potatoes in foil on oven rack.
    • Remove the potatoes to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes or until you can handle them. Remove the foil and cut a criss-cross into the top of the potato using a fork.
      Baked Yukon Gold potato with fork in it.
    • Pop it open with your fingers, add butter and let it melt into it as you fluff the potato with a fork.
      Baked Yukon gold potato on foil.
    • Top with sour cream, bacon bits, chives, salt and pepper. Serve!
      Baked potato with sour cream, chives and bacon bits on plate with woman's hand.

    Technique #3: Hasselback Style

    • Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a potato on a large spoon.
      A potato on a spoon, on a cutting board.
    • Make very close slices into the potato until you reach the spoon, so the potato slices will hold together by the bottom. Do this all across the top of the potato. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
      A potato on a spoon with a knife, on wooden cutting board.
    • Roughly chop the herbs. Mix the olive oil and fresh herbs together. Place the potatoes on a baking tray. Use a basting brush to spread the olive oil and herbs over the potato. Try to get into the slices as well with the oil. Sprinkle them with freshly ground salt and pepper.
      Hasselback potatoes with seasonings in baking dish and a silicone brush with olive oil.
    • Bake the potatoes until they are golden brown with crisp edges, about 60 minutes. This completely depends on the size of the potatoes. Keep an eye on them! If they are looking dry while baking, baste them with a little more olive oil.
      Hasselback potatoes baking in the oven.
    • Serve.
      Baked hasselback potatoes in a white dish with rosemary.

    Equipment

    • Baking tray
    • Basting brush
    • Foil

    Notes

    • COOKING TIP: If you don't have a large enough spoon for the hasselback potato, try placing chopsticks on either side of the potato to stop the knife from going right through. Personally, I just put the potato on the cutting board and start slicing from one end to the other, being careful not to go all the way through. But the spoon or the chopsticks can make it a lot easier for you.
    • Baked potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Do not store them in the foil.
    • It doesn't matter what side of the foil is on the outside.
    • If you don't poke holes into the potatoes, you run the risk of them exploding in the oven and creating a big mess.
    • If you're baking the potatoes directly on the oven rack, make sure they are large enough to not fall through the grates.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 13mgPotassium: 897mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg

    Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.

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    Hi, I'm Joss!

    I am the creator and editor of In the Kitch. I am inviting you on this food journey with me to learn, grow and bring out that inner chef in you. I hope to inspire you to get creative in your own kitchen!

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