When it comes to potatoes, you may have your favorite cut for fries and a go-to way of making mashed potatoes, but it’s hard to argue that when it comes to baked potatoes, classic is best.
Baked potato purists reach for russet potatoes for baking because they’re starchy, have low moisture, and have thick skin. These characteristics contribute to a fluffy, creamy interior cloaked in a crispy skin when baked. However, cooking icon Martha Stewart disagrees.
A few years ago, Martha took to Instagram to share a beauty shot of her lunch—a baked potato with a big dollop of sour cream. At first glance, I thought it was a russet potato, but her caption surprised me.
Martha says, “Generally we do not bake large Yukon gold potatoes but yesterday I mixed in a couple with some big Idaho spuds and roasted them slowly at 325 for an hour and a half.” She had baked Yukon gold potatoes, which is not something I thought a food expert would recommend!
According to senior editor Sara Bir, “High-moisture potatoes, like redskins or Yukon golds, are best for wet heat: steaming and boiling. They are lower in starch and remain dense after baking, which is not what you want in a baked potato.” So why does Martha recommend Yukon golds for baking? Here’s why.
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How Martha Stewart Bakes Yukon Gold Potatoes
Because Yukon gold potatoes have more moisture, they can withstand heat without drying out or crumbling as long as you give them the right treatment.
Martha recommends that you bake them at a lower temperature (325°F) for about one hour 30 minutes. (Russet potatoes are typically baked at 400°F to 450°F for under one hour.)
Then, Martha throws another curveball recommendation. As soon as they come out of the oven, hold each potato with a clean kitchen towel (they’re hot!) and smash it on the kitchen counter to release the creamy insides and gently break up the skin.
These baked potatoes are truly a work of culinary alchemy: thin, crackly skin that holds a mound of buttery and intensely creamy potatoes within. They’re denser than russets, but because they are baked low and slow, they’ll become light and melt-in-your-mouth creamy.
Once you try this method out, I’m certain you won’t make baked potatoes any other way. Maybe start to think of recipes you can make with that big bag of russets collecting dust in your pantry.
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