Baked potatoes are an easy-to-make and inexpensive side dish. Potatoes are rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and manganese. Because potatoes are so versatile, there are countless ways to cook them.

Preparation before making:

1. Scrub and rinse the potatoes with cold water.

2. If baking in a conventional oven, wipe off any excess moisture from the potatoes with a clean rag or kitchen towel.

3. If needed, trim off any scratched or broken parts.

4. Poke the potatoes once or twice with a fork. This will make the potatoes cook faster.

To make in the oven: Coat the potatoes evenly with olive oil (optional).

Season with salt and pepper.

Place potatoes in a baking dish (optional). Some people prefer to put the potatoes directly on the grill.

Bake the potatoes at 220°C for 45 to 60 minutes. Potatoes are ready when a fork can easily pierce them.

Potatoes can also be roasted at lower temperatures for longer periods of time. This will make the skin of the potatoes more crispy. About 1.5 hours at 175°C or 1 hour and 15 minutes at 190°C is a good guide.

Baking time will vary. Not all potatoes are the same size and weight, use these roasting times as a guide, not a rule. Check with a fork that the potatoes are roasted to your desired degree.

Some classic combinations include:

Sour cream and chives

Butter and salt

Cheese

Although the practice of baking potatoes is very simple, there are also tricks to doing it well. Really well-done baked potatoes should be slightly browned on the outside and crispy to the bite, while the inside should be soft, plump, and rich in layers.

1. Don't bake the potatoes directly, do the first step, that is, boil them.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, then peel and wash the potatoes, cut them into pieces of suitable size, boil 2 liters of water, add 20 grams of salt and potato pieces, cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, then remove and drain.

2. Find a deep and thick baking pan, pour 200 grams of refined olive oil (don't use virgin), put it in a preheated oven, and heat it until the oil becomes piping hot.

This step is to speed up the Maillard reaction of the potato pieces, resulting in a crispy outer layer.

3. Take out the heated baking pan, and put the drained potato pieces into the baking pan one by one with a long spoon, try to keep the potato pieces flat and not overlapping each other.

Sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper, as well as rosemary and thyme, cut a whole head of garlic in half crosswise, and place in a roasting pan.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes, turning the potatoes over halfway through. The potatoes baked in this way are crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. They taste very delicious. You should try it now!