Baked Potato Gestalt ~ Spud Love

OK OK ~ so I made some comment the other day about making the *perfect* baked potato (or something to that effect) ... and several of y'all wanted to know how to do it. So, here's how: first, you make a roux. LOL ~ gotta love that old cajun joke, eh? But anyway, I digress ... first you gotta have the right kinda potato to start with, AND a little knowledge of the chemistry that happens when you bake a potato. I'll tell you what kinda potato is right (best) for baking ... it's Idaho Russets ... but you gonna hafta do your DD on that chemistry thing. I ain't no chemist.

Once you have educated yerself, and been to the groceria and bought yer tater (get at least a 90 ct, 70 ct would be even better) ... here's the deal: You gotta bake that 'tater in a HOT oven (refer to your tater chemistry 101 notes) ... so preheat yer oven, not yer damn microwave, to 400-425* and commence to scrubbin that tater clean under cool tap water, dry it good, rub it with some kinda oil/butter/EVOO/bacon fat, and sprinkle it with some kosher salt ... then wrap it in foil, poke it a couple times with a fork (AFTER you've wrapped it) so the steam can escape, and bake it in dat hot oven. How long? Until it's just done ... don't overcook it ... squeeze it, and if it just gives a lil' ~ it's done. This will take a lil' practice, but once you learn the *feeling* of a perfectly done baked potato you'll never forget it. For a 90 ct russett @ 425* that will take about an hour ... for a 70 ct mebbe a lil' longer ... why ... because a 70 ct tater is bigger than a 90 ct tater, that's why.

Now, here's the important part ... as soon as that tater is perfectly done ... you gotta eat it then ~ not 15-20 minutes later!! Now is when the tater is gonna be at it's lightest and fluffiest texture ... so don't let that tater sit around in that damn foil for 15-20 minutes after it comes out the oven, ya'heah? Timing is everything in cooking. Now ... here's a lil' Chef trick: when you take that perfectly baked tater out the oven, you got to smack it down on the countertop immediately (while it's still in the foil) this will cause the insides of dat tater to *explode* within it's skin, resulting in a very fluffy baked tater. Don't try this after you take the foil off, or after you've let that tater sit in the foil for 15-20 minutes after it comes out the oven. It won't work that way. Gotta do it IMMEDIATELY after it comes out the oven, while still in the foil. It's takes practice ... I didn't say this was gonna be easy.

Now, after you've taken your proper, perfectly baked tater out the oven and smacked it just right ... now unwrap it (take the foil off) and plate it ... cut a lil' slit down the middle & squeeze it open. If you don't see an immediate release of hot steamy tater love ... you ain't done it right. Go back and read your tater 101 notes, and try again till you git it right. Any questions??