Directions on How to Cook Potatoes in the oven including oven temperatures, times, and how to do it with and without foil. This baked potato recipe is so simple, and provides the best side dish to a chicken or steak dinner!

The Best Oven Baked Potato Recipe

Baked potatoes are always and forever going to be on my dinner rotation for a few reasons. They are cheap to buy, easy to make, and the family can customize them to their liking. Customizable meals (like tacos, burgers, and other things where the kids can dress the dish up how they prefer) are always a hit in this house. The kids love it, and I love that they don’t fuss about what’s being served.

I don’t know about you, but there is nothing more that I love than a loaded baked potato. Bring on the toppings: butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar, freshly cooked diced bacon, and chives from the garden. That is a complete baked potato in my mind. I also like warming up some leftover broccoli and cheese soup to spoon over the top of my potatoes – so good!

I know this recipe isn’t rocket science, but knowing how to cook potatoes in the oven, the right way, is a game changer. I’m here to tell you to put down the foil and roast those potatoes in their own skin, on a rack, slathered in oil and sprinkled with salt. Sometimes all you need is a few simple ingredients put together in the right order. This, my friends, is simplicity at its tastiest.

Tips and Tricks on How to Cook Potatoes in the Oven:

Choose a russet potato for this recipe. The starch content in a russet is just what you are looking for in a baked potato and it makes the fluffiest-centered and crispiest-skinned taters on the block.
The size of your russet is up to you. I normally go for small or medium potatoes when they are a side dish to the meal and large baking potatoes when they are going to be the main dish. The key is to get potatoes that are similar in size so that they finish baking at the same time.
Baking potatoes in the oven is my preferred method because it makes them so fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, but did you know you can cook “baked” potatoes in your slow cooker and Instant Pot? Read more about that here.
Dress them up or dress them down, no matter how you make them, baked potatoes are delicious. We like to pair them with these super easy baked chicken legs, or serve them with chili and cheese as a main dish.

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