#7: There's no wrong way to eat a Baked Potato

Dear Tiff,
For tonight's small group I did the One-Dish Wonder Chicken with Baked Potatoes which will be posted separately, but I wanted to share with you some more about baked potatoes.  There are so many variations on these cheap, easy classics.  The great thing about potatoes is that, like other root veggies, they don't go bad for a long time, so its ok to buy in bulk even with just two people in the house.  They're also super cheap.


Baked Potatoes can be done in the oven, the campfire, the barbecue, the slow-cooker, even under the hood of your car (great way to nix the drive-thru on your next longer drive!)  I usually do mine in the slow cooker or the oven- more "conventional" methods!


I learned basic baked potatoes in the crock-pot from Stephanie O'Dhea's amazing crockpot blog.  They are SO EASY.  Just wash (and dry) your potatoes, prick a few times with a fork if you remember, wrap them in foil, and cook them in the crock, on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6.


Just a few Variations on a Theme: for the crock-pot or the oven
As I try out more ideas I'll add them to this list :)
1) Slice your potatoes in half before wrapping them, and place an onion slice in between the 2 halves.  Then put it back together, wrap in foil, and cook as usual.  You could also do this with garlic, cheese, butter, etc
2) Instead of wrapping in foil, rub your potatoes over with olive oil and salt (especially kosher salt or sea salt)
3)soak them overnight in saltwater and then place directly in the crockpot (or a pan if you're using your oven) without foil or drying
4) If you're doing chicken or meat in the crockpot, you can either cut your potatoes in chunks or just drop them straight in with the meat.


Great potato toppings: butter, sour cream, cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, swiss and ricotta are all great, and others I'm sure); bacon or ham, green onions, salt, pepper...the sky is the limit!  Please comment below this post if you have any favorites!


Here are 5 ways to use leftover baked potatoes; I haven't tried these but as I do I'll let you know how they go!