Not too long ago, I happened upon an America’s Test Kitchen show on PBS. One segment featured their take on The Perfect Baked Potato. There it was in all its simplicity: Stabbed, Brined, Baked, Coated with Olive Oil, Baked again only to emerge in a flawless-looking potato which, when cut open stem to stern, released its steam and revealed the fluffiest interior I’d ever seen. To this butter was quickly added melting into the potato as a fork whipped it up. This lily was then gilded with great dollops of Sour Cream that was then topped with crispy bacon and a shower of chives. Perfection on a plate. I couldn’t wait to bake my own but first I wanted a taste of the baked potatoes that come from a food cart that’s parked daily in our neighborhood.
CartOshka, is a play on the Russian word Kartoshka for potato. It’s also used as a term of endearment as in “I love you, my little Kartoshka” and as a pejorative as slang for a gluttonous and slothful person as in “Quit acting like a Kartoshka” or so says the writing on the food cart’s side. Talk about double meanings. CartOshka’s potato is truly something. For $7 you get a potato that measured 6 inches long. CartOshka then cuts the potato open from end to end. Then the potato’s interior gets a brief fluffing followed by a big slab of butter about 4 tbsp. in size. The potato is salted and peppered and
shredded mozzarella—a lot of shredded Mozarella—is mixed in, melting immediately. Then comes the hard part: Choosing from the immense array of add-ins. There’s no limit to how many of these you may add. And only one—the sausage—involves paying an extra dollar. I decided to let CartOshka pick mine. The cook really went wild. In no particular order, he added corn, green olives, peas-and-carrots, sautéed mushrooms, chopped dill pickles, hot sauce and mayo. I can’t say I loved it all. But I did love bits and pieces. The corn was great as were the mushrooms. But the olives did little for me. The hot sauce killed every other flavor and I was glad it was confined to one small area of potato. But oh, that melted Mozzarella which emerged from the potato in strings of cheese, clinging to the buttery potato.
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 1/2 cup water in large bowl. Place potatoes in bowl and toss so exteriors of potatoes are evenly moistened. Transfer potatoes to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and bake until center of largest potato registers 205 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. If you are going to top your potato with bacon, while the potato cooks, cook the bacon on the stovetop, reserving the bacon fat to use in the next step of cooking the potato. If serving sour cream, now is a good time to take it out of the refrigerator so that it is not stone cold.
3. Remove potatoes from oven and brush tops and sides with olive oil or bacon or duck fat. Return potatoes to oven and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove potatoes from oven and, using paring knife, make 2 slits, forming X, in each potato. Using clean dish towel, hold ends and squeeze slightly to push flesh up and out. Immediately butter the potato generously. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add-ins can be used here or passed at table. Serve immediately.
You have labeled the recipe itself as “Recipe for The Perfect Mashed Potato from America’s Test Kitchen”. I believe you mean “Baked Potato”. Ooops.
I made these and they were pretty much perfect but the skin came out a little rubbery. Not quite perfect. Should the potatoes be pierced before baking? Should they be salted again after oiling?
Dear William, Since I wrote this in 2014, I made an amazing discovery when I first baked “English Jacket Potatoes”. I invite you to try them next time you bake. I think they beat out “the Perfect Baked Potato”. Here’s the link:https://chewingthefat.us.com/2020/07/the-best-baked-potato-try-english-jacket-potatoes.html
If you watch the YouTube of this episode, she pokes the potatoes 6 times with a fork before brining so the salt can penetrate. The rest of the directions are accurate.