Potatoes are a simple staple food with many ways to prepare them.

Since the Colombian exchange, these starchy spuds took the world by storm and took many shapes and forms in countless dishes. But sometimes, when the fridge is running low and you don’t want to make a mess in your kitchen by cooking a big fancy meal, stick a potato in the oven and wait. Soon enough, you have yourself an easy-to-make, tasty, and filling meal: the baked potato. Cut it open, slather on some butter, sprinkle some bacon bits, and voila!

These hot spuds can be made even tastier with this recipe.

In Boston, the American Test Kitchen posted a how-to video for the best way to prepare a baked potato. Test cook Elle Simone showed the host how to properly season and cook potatoes with salty, crispy skin, maximizing taste.

First off, you need the right kind of potatoes for this recipe.

Russet potatoes are preferred because their high starch content gives them that heavenly fluffy texture after baking. The recipe also calls for half a cup of water and two tablespoons of salt for brine, vegetable oil, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. 4 ounces of goat cheese, two tablespoons of parsley, one tablespoon of finely chopped shallots, and half a tablespoon of lemon zest for the filling.

Then, prepare the brine for the skins and poke holes around the potato with your fork six times.

Simone said that the potatoes should soak in the brine for a few seconds. The holes around the potato will help soak in the salty solution, increasing flavor. Once that’s done, put the potatoes in a 450-degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The idea is to get the internal temperature is 205 degrees. Use a temperature reader to check the internal temperature of the potatoes while also feeling the resistance.

Butter, good as it sounds, can actually leave your potatoes soggy.

Once the potatoes reach that temperature, brush them with vegetable oil and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes. While the potatoes bake, take the goat cheese, olive oil, parsley, shallots, and lemon zest for the filling. Mash all the aforementioned ingredients to bring out maximum flavoring—but don’t forget to add a pinch of salt and pepper.

As soon as the potatoes are fished out of the oven, cut them open immediately!

No, don’t wait for them to cool down, cut them open with one long cut across and another smaller one right across. The idea is to open the potatoes while keeping the fluffy goodness hot and mashed. Then, add that delicious filling and Bon Appetit!

Baked potatoes are a simple, filling dish anyone could make. But, with the right kind of ingredients and proper preparations, you can elevate your meal into a heavenly dining experience. If you want to see the recipe unfold, then check out the video at the bottom.

Watch the video below!

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Source: YouTube – America’s Test Kitchen, What’s Cooking America