If you love baked potatoes, see how easy it is to make salt-crusted potatoes with olive oil and coarse sea salt. The oil tenderizes and crisps the skin, while the salt adds delicious flavor.
Recipes for Salt-Crusted Potatoes
There are plenty of recipes for baked potatoes cooked with salt. Some claim that salt draws out moisture, leaving a fluffy, dry potato behind. Other recipes say the salt holds moisture in the potato, making it fluffy. Either way, salt helps to create delicious baked potatoes!
Choosing Potatoes for Salt-Crusted Potatoes
When selecting potatoes to bake, choose ones of similar size. This prevents smaller potatoes from cooking faster than larger ones, preventing overcooking. If you do have a mixture of sizes, cook them for the shortest time listed in the recipe. Then, check the smallest potatoes in the thickest part. If they are done, remove them from the oven, and let the larger potatoes keep baking until done.
For a traditional baked potato, choose russet potatoes (also known as Idaho potatoes). They have a high starch content and low moisture, making them ideal for baking up light and fluffy.
Another favorite potato to bake is yellow or Yukon Golds. They don’t have quite as much starch as russets, but bake up with a creamy, buttery, delicious flavor.
Skip the Aluminum Foil
There’s no need to use aluminum foil when baking these potatoes. The foil traps steam, causing the salt to dissolve and collect on the foil rather than remaining on the potato. Instead, use a generous amount of oil on the potatoes so the salt will stick. Place the potatoes on a jelly roll pan lined with a silicone baking mat. The mat will make cleanup easier.
Pierce the Potatoes Before Baking
Allow steam to escape from the potatoes as they cook by piercing them with a fork. Pierce them after you wash and dry them, but before adding the oil and salt. Otherwise, you might displace the salt as you pierce them.
Slather the Salt-Crusted Potatoes with Oil
Brush or rub the potatoes with olive oil or another high-heat oil until thoroughly coated. Use refined or virgin olive oil; leave extra-virgin oil for salads and bread dips.
Place Salt in a Flat Bowl to Coat Salt-Crusted Potatoes
It is easiest to place the salt into a flat bowl when coating the potatoes. Firmly roll them in the salt to help it stick to the olive oil.
Baking Salt-Crusted Potatoes
Bake the potatoes at a higher temperature (425°F ) for 45-60 minutes. The high temperature helps to crisp the outside skin. Remember that smaller potatoes will cook more quickly, so check them with a fork before the shortest cooking time is up. Insert a fork into the middle of the thickest part of a couple of similarly-sized potatoes. If the fork slides in easily without any resistance, the potatoes are done. Alternatively, you can squeeze the sides of a potato. If it is soft and yielding, it is done. Finally, you can check the potatoes’ internal temperature with a food thermometer. When the temperature is at 205°-210°F (96°-99°C), the potatoes will be done.
Other Potato Recipes You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
How to Bake Salt-Crusted Potatoes
Equipment
- jelly roll baking sheet
- silicone baking mat (optional)
Ingredients
- 9 large russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive cooking oil
- ½ cup coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Use a silicone mat on the baking sheet for easy cleanup.
- Wash and dry the potatoes.
- Use a fork to puncture the potatoes in a few places on both sides to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Brush the potatoes with olive oil. Then, roll them all over in coarse salt.
- Place potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes or until they are soft in the middle when pierced with a fork.