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    Home » Recipes by Meal » Side dish

    Quick Baked Potatoes

    Published: Dec 27, 2011 · Modified: Sep 13, 2018 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

    I love baked potatoes, but they take so long to cook. Potatoes need an hour (or more) to be tender in the middle with a crisp, crackling skin. Weeknight baked potatoes? Out of the question.

    That changed one afternoon as I drove back from lunch. Jacques Pepin was on the radio, chatting about his new cookbook. Jacques is an encyclopedia of cooking tips, and he had a great time sharing them with the host of the show.

    Then came the tip that nearly ran me off the road. His baked potatoes are done in thirty minutes or less. What?
    *At this point, I remembered the yellow lines on the road are for my safety, and the safety of all those other cars around me...

    Thirty minutes? How? Jacques microwaves the potatoes while his oven pre-heats, giving them a head start. The result is perfect baked potatoes in half the time they normally take.

    That was seven years ago; I have used the microwave technique ever since. Now, I'm almost ashamed to share this; it's barely a recipe. One ingredient, two steps. And I'm stretching to make it two steps. But I'll get over my shame. This is too useful a technique.

    Recipe: Quick Baked Potatoes

    Adapted From: Jacques Pepin, Fast Food My Way

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    Quick Baked Potatoes


    ★★★★★

    4.5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 31 minutes
    • Yield: 6
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Quick Baked Potatoes - jump start the cooking in the microwave, and they're done in a half an hour.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 6 small russet potatoes (6-8 ounces each)

    Instructions

    1. Start potatoes in Microwave: Turn oven to 425*F. Wash the potatoes, then poke each one three times with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high for 6 minutes.
    2. Finish potatoes in oven: Transfer the potatoes to the oven, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the skin feels crisp when a potato is squeezed. Remove from the oven and immediately cut a slice the top of the potato to let the steam escape. Squeeze from the ends to fluff up, and serve.
    • Prep Time: 1 minute
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Category: Side Dish
    • Cuisine: American

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    Variations:

    Large potatoes, 12 to 16 ounces: microwave for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.

    Notes:

    *Salt and pepper the potatoes once they are split open. Garnish with one or more of: shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, jalapenos. Or a pat of butter. Or, my favorite, a pan sauce from sauteed pork chops.

    *Find good, clean potatoes for this recipe. Baked potatoes work best when they're whole. The skin traps the steam inside, making the inside fluffy and tender. If you have to remove bruises or eyes, then the steam will escape, and the potatoes won't bake as well.

    What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

    Related Posts:

    Basic White Rice
    Orzo Pilaf

    Adapted from:

    Jacques Pepin, Fast Food My Way

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    « Merry Christmas! (2011 Edition)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pete says

      September 22, 2018 at 11:21 pm

      I use this method every time. Only difference is I finish the potatoe(s) in a toaster oven. Works peachy.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Suzanne says

      September 14, 2016 at 9:06 pm

      Really like this recipe to making baked potatoes fast. After the microwave, I rub olive oil and salt on the skin. I wrap in foil and put in the oven for 20 minutes, Remo e foil and cook 5 minutes to crisp up a lil. Ty

      Reply
    3. Nikki says

      January 23, 2016 at 5:11 pm

      thank you so much...having this with meatloaf!

      ★★★★

      Reply
    4. Judy Wallace says

      August 22, 2015 at 4:13 pm

      I'm having a very light dinner of stuffed baked potatoes for a crowd of 15. Could I do the microwave part a day ahead??

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        August 22, 2015 at 5:43 pm

        No, I don't think it will work. Day old cooked potatoes don't taste the same.

        Reply
    5. Eve says

      April 27, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      Thanks Mike. I used four and cooked them for 6 min so I guess how many doesn't matter. I never knew that before. You are a wellof good info. : )

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        April 27, 2015 at 3:06 pm

        You're welcome!

        Reply
    6. Eve says

      April 26, 2015 at 5:52 pm

      You used 6 potatoes and someone else said they just used two but both microed for 6 min. Wouldn't you need to micro less time if you only used two?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        April 26, 2015 at 8:41 pm

        6 minutes either way. The time is determined by the thickness of each potato, not the total number of potatoes.

        Reply
    7. jamie says

      April 07, 2015 at 6:19 pm

      It doesn't say what to bake on and if potatoes need wrapped?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        April 07, 2015 at 7:05 pm

        Bake on one of the racks in your oven; don't wrap the potatoes.

        Reply
    8. Dewy says

      March 22, 2015 at 8:02 pm

      Thanks! These turned out perfect. Two taters in the microwave for 6 minutes and then rubbed with butter and salted with sea salt. Popped in the oven for 20 minutes and they came out just right. Hell, I even popped a spare tater in there, and made a couple of twice backed for the same time investment. Lunch will be good this week.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        March 22, 2015 at 8:14 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    9. Brandi says

      August 29, 2012 at 11:58 pm

      With two 4 year old boys I have 15-20 minutes total from the time we get home to when at least the first of the food has to be hitting the table to avoid riots. So these days I cook the potatoes end to end in the microwave. Wash, stab, drop in a ziploc bag (to keep them moist?) and hit the potatoe button. Done in 7-10 minutes. And as I like to have the veggies on the plate first (when the kids are most hungry and most willing to at least try anything) they are done in no time.

      Reply
    10. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      January 28, 2012 at 8:26 pm

      I'm too lazy to take that extra step of wrapping in foil. 🙂 I eat the inside of the potato, then add som butter or gravy and salt at the table. Mmmm....

      Reply
    11. Jim says

      January 27, 2012 at 11:46 pm

      I've been doing baked potatoes like this for years.  I drizzle EVOO on the potatoes and sprinkle with Kosher salt before I seal up the foil.  Makes for tasty skin.

      Reply
    12. BBQandBrew says

      December 28, 2011 at 9:39 pm

      That is a great idea. I have been doing something similar for a few year for homefries and "grill" fries. I cube or slice the potatoes, microwave them until mostly cooked, and brown them in a pan on the grill. When grilling I will slice a large potato 1/2" thick or halve a new potato. I toss them with some oil and seasonings. They take only a few minutes on the grill to brown.

      Reply
    13. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 29, 2011 at 12:43 am

      @BBQandBrew:

      Exactly! I've been using the same trick with my rotisserie drip pan potatoes for years...it's just that I never got around to the recipe that taught me the trick.

      Reply

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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner! I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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