“A good shake o’ salt ♪ Potato, potato ♪ “
—Eiko Carol, FFIX
This is one of those very simple recipes, like Tifa’s Premium Heart, where you might say, “Everyone knows how to do that.” But when I was growing up, we cooked potatoes in the microwave — I didn’t learn how to prepare a proper restaurant-style baked potato until I was an adult. The extra baking time is worth it!
- Russet potatoes, up to 4
- Grapeseed oil
- Coarse sea salt
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Snipped chives
- Freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch drippings.
While the oven is heating, scrub potatoes and pat dry. Poke each potato deeply with a fork about 5 or 6 times. Coat lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Place the potatoes directly on the top rack of the oven. Bake about 1 hour, until skin is crispy and flesh underneath is soft. Remove from oven and use the fork to create a dotted line down the length of the potato. Press the ends of the potato towards each other until the line cracks open. Be careful, the steam will be very hot!
Place each potato in a bowl and serve with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives, and black pepper for topping.
Final Fantasy Recipes 