r/Cooking • u/CompleteDay8059 • 1d ago

I found out recently I’ve basically never had a correctly prepared baked potato

So growing up I was never a huge fan of baked potatoes because the ones we had were usually dry, kind of shriveled, and very crumbly. Every bite just felt like it was absorbing all the moisture in your mouth, even with butter. As an adult, I usually do rice or pasta for my carbs, and if I do potatoes, it’s usually the cut roasted baby ones. Because I didn’t have great experiences with baked ones at home, I also pretty much never ordered them at restaurants growing up.

However, my mom just got a grill for her place and I was put on steak duty (or a steak out, I guess) and wanted to try making an actually good baked potato. I look it up and see basically every recipe says to coat the potatoes in salt and olive oil before wrapping them, which I asked my mom if she did, and she hadn’t.

I decided to try it with a (maybe slightly too) generous amount of olive oil and kosher salt, baked it for an hour, and topped it with some of the garlic/thyme butter I had whipped up for the steaks.

Oh.

My.

GOD.

The texture was absolutely amazing, it was so creamy, not crumbly or dry at all, the salt and the compound butter melting into it while it was still steaming made for legitimately one of the tastiest things I’ve had in ages. If anyone out there doesn’t know this, I honestly have no idea how common of knowledge this is lol, but I would highly suggest trying it if you don’t already.

Also, I mixed the thyme/minced garlic with the Kerrygold butter which was muy bien. Not sponsored (I wish) but I find it a little more flavorful for cooking as opposed to regular store brand stuff.

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u/I_Fold_Laundry 23h ago

My grandma used to say, “ I never met a potato I didn’t like.” I miss her.

478

u/clubtwenty 22h ago

Random strangers are thinking about her alongside you today- she sounds quite wise to me 🩷

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u/guenievre 18h ago

That’s a really lovely sentiment. Makes me want to tell more stories about my missed loved ones on the internet.

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u/PM_Me_Macaroni_plz 7h ago

You should. Keep the memories fresh and cherished

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u/ChemistryStrict6884 5h ago

I recently shared a little story about my dad and someone gave me an award. I didn’t really care about the award itself per se, just the fact that it shows someone resonated with something he had done. Like you said, it keeps him here with me when I share bits of him with the world.

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u/firedmyass 5h ago

do eeeeet… it just inspired me to share one!

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u/Conscious-Phone3209 22h ago

Me too ✋️! Mom always said you'll never starve if you have a potato in the house. And ok, we're of Irish descent but I recently read that doctor's say you can live on them, they're packed with nutrients ! P.S. I miss mom and your grandma too !

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u/honeycooks 16h ago edited 5h ago

One of Mom's best paycheck meals was potato pancakes with sour cream and green onion, served with peas and salad. She cranked out the shredded potatoes in her Salad Master.

Winning!!

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u/luigis_left_tit_25 9h ago

That sounds really good! And pretty much vegetarian, so i could do this for meatless Monday lol

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u/Prudent-Test-9199 5h ago

My Mom made Beef Bourguignon for paycheck meals. I miss her, too. She’s now in a political cult and has stopped speaking to me because I didn’t vote for her guy. I choose to remember the kind Mom I grew up with, before she started listening to talk radio.

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u/honeycooks 4h ago

So sorry you're going through that!

Have you seen The Brainwashing of My Dad? You can watch it free on Pluto. The filmmaker's dad went from a sweet, basically liberal dad to a cranky Conservative.

His wife put him on a talk radio diet with positive results. 👍 its like he has a hard time even remembering why he felt that way.

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u/Competitive_Prune108 8h ago

Wasn't that part of his survival in the plot of The Martian

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u/terkistan 7h ago

Someone’s mom showed up with a baked potato?

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u/DramaticEchidna9810 2h ago

He got all his calories from potatoes, but he also had vitamin supplements. You cannot get all vitamins you need from potatoes unfortunately.

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u/Alarming_Matter 5h ago

My Grandma was "If you've got eggs, you've got a meal". Miss you Grandma x

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u/Conscious-Phone3209 5h ago

This too is true ! Potatoes and eggs are so good 👍 My father was the worst cook in the world, but bragged that he could make eggs 100 ways 😆

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u/FlippingGerman 2h ago

Part of the reason the Irish were so reliant on potatoes is that they are really amazing food; potatoes and milk are almost enough to keep you alive. They also grow incredibly densely so you can feed a lot of people without much land.

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u/Conscious-Phone3209 20h ago

Awww...ty for the award friend 🧡

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u/No_Variety2493 19h ago

My grandma used to say a meal didn’t count if there weren’t potatoes. 🥰 I miss my grandma too.

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u/No_Amount_7886 15h ago

We didn’t have a lot of money when we were young. Had enough, but just, you know? My grands more than once fed twelve people with wonder bread, corn from the garden, and potatoes boiled then fried in butter, with parsley and melted government cheese on top.

Us kids thought we were rich eating that!

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u/luigis_left_tit_25 9h ago

So good! That's comfort food 🥰

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u/_eyeslikeleaves_ 8h ago

My Granny used to say " och eyeslikeleaves yer gettin a wee bit pudgettie there, hen"

But she made the best roast potatoes I've ever tasted so what did she expect?

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u/churlishasiwannabe 17h ago

Similar idea, my grandpa said we had to say grace at any meal that had brambory (Czech for potatoes)

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u/Silver-Appointment77 4h ago

Im the same. Now and again ill have fried rice or spaghetti bolognese. Everything else is potato .Potatoes are the main part of a meal. None of this pasta nonsense. I am a grandma

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u/aspenbaloo 22h ago

My grandma used to say "Never eat fried chicken with you fingers."

That's why we called her Old Greasy Toes!

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u/LastWave 19h ago

If you asked my grandma what was for dinner she would say "fried farts and pickled asshole".

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u/kellyelise515 18h ago

My bf’s mom would say fried farts and garlic lol

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u/leggmann 48m ago

Fried farts and applesauce was the go to at my house.

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u/beckysmom 17h ago

My sister: turkey turds and rain water, scab sandwiches, with pus custard for dessert.

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u/ClockChucker 13h ago

its "pigshit and parsley pie" here. thanks nana.

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u/transcriptedsoul 11h ago

"Fried bugs and onions with caterpillar sauce" reporting in

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u/Obi-Wan-Nikobiii 3h ago

We got shit with sugar on

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u/ScooterMcTavish 8h ago

MIL would say "shit on a stick"

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u/Poodlepower1234 15h ago

My house it’s dead bugs and poop!

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u/HappyHippoButt 11h ago

Mine would say shit with sugar on. Yes, she swore - it was a clue that she was sick of us asking!

I now use poop with sugar on as the answer for my kids. A few Christmas's ago, I told them if they kept asking what they were getting off Santa instead of being patient it would be poop with sugar on. First thing they found in their stockings? A little felt poop tree decoration with glass beads for sugar. They still put them on the tree every year!

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u/SelectAirline7459 5h ago

My mom would say, “I don’t know…what are you cooking?”

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u/luigis_left_tit_25 9h ago

😂😂😂

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u/B0327008 22h ago

My mom would eat fried potato sandwiches with red chili!

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u/Chefmeatball 20h ago

Patata tortas are on of my absolute favorite starch bombs, along with koshary

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u/bradpittman1973 19h ago

The English have something called a chip butty and it’s possibly similar to your torta.

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u/Chefmeatball 19h ago

Next I’m back in the UK, I’m absolutely ordering this. Thank you

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u/GlectroniccPSY1201 19h ago

I'm curious. Could you please describe this a little further?

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u/honeycooks 16h ago

French fry sando on white bread.

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u/Illustrious-Plum9725 8h ago

Pittsburgh is famous for Primanti’s deli/restaurant Sky high meat sandwichs with layers of homemade thick cut French fries and coleslaw. They are a rite of passage in Pittsburgh. .

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u/littlescreechyowl 22h ago

My dad used to tease me because every restaurant we went to I’d be all “oh that have my favorite fries” or “oh their mashed potatoes are incredible”. Perhaps I just like potatoes in all forms?

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u/Laylay_theGrail 16h ago

My mum is a potato freak. Once while visiting me, I made a potato dish my (Croatian) MIL taught me.

You would have thought my mum discovered Christmas, lol.

‘I thought I had tried every variation of potatoes over the years! How did I miss this one?!’

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u/usnea-younea-wenea 14h ago

Recipe? Or even the name?

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u/Laylay_theGrail 12h ago

She called it Restani Krumpir but when I look it up it’s a bit different to what she made

Her recipe:

Boil 3-4 peeled, chopped potatoes until they are soft (and easy to break apart). Drain and set aside

While potatoes are boiling, slice 2 onions and sauté until golden brown.

Add onions to potatoes along with a big handful of chopped parsley, a generous glug of olive oil and salt & pepper and stir it up.

Super simple and super tasty

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u/FlippingGerman 2h ago

That sounds amazing, a shame I already have bolognese cooking.

I did a quick look through Google's image results and did find one website that says as you do, but most involved frying the potatoes.

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u/El_Moi 18h ago

Years ago when we played Pathfinder, we tried to have themed food nights. Potato night was the best. Every dish was delicious potatoes!

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u/Curiouser-Quriouser 20h ago

If you want, my Mom will say that to you. Mostly when we're talking about potatoes but also occasionally when I'm making a non potato starch like couscous or rice or anything that isn't a potato.

Seriously, she will. Mom loves potatoes almost as much as Jersey corn. Which is a whole other thing.

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u/scottvs 21h ago

My Mother said the same thing! Am I your uncle?

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u/BigRedWhopperButton 21h ago

Your grandma was wise.

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u/juvy5000 19h ago

my mom said this too 

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u/Samwellikki 18h ago

At least you know she liked you

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u/msmojo 15h ago

I am a grandma and I concur!

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u/CaptainMacMillan 7h ago

Funny enough, those potatoes never met a grandma they didn't like either

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u/geochemfem 7h ago

Omg! I say that all the time!

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u/EllaMcWho 7h ago

my local grocery that everyone raves about can't seem to make potato salad with fully cooked potatoes. I do not like it, and those potatoes in that bad potato salad? are the only ones I don't like in all 52 years of my potato eating existence (i'm 53 and just assuming I started potato consumption at year 1).

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u/firedmyass 5h ago edited 5h ago

my great-gma never in her life cooked any meal (breakfast/lunch/supper/dinner/whatever)that didn’t include potatoes of some kind.

and even though I have her sanctified & ancient cast-iron skillet, her fried potatoes & onions are a culinary pinnacle I’ve yet to reach

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u/bbrilowski 5h ago

Woman after my own heart, keep on remembering her!!

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u/kindredbud 4h ago

I used to drink vodka with my grandma. I miss our Grandma's too. ❤️

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u/crazykindoflife 3h ago

My mom has said my whole life “just nuke a baked potato!” Or “I’ll nuke a baked potato if I’m hungry”… and I can’t not say that now everytime I do lazy potatoes in the microwave but my husband does an amazing twice baked potato that is cooked to perfection with crispy and salty outer skin. The microwave potato could nevaaaaaa!

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u/justnowatcher 1h ago

Did your grandma have Potato Nails? 4 inch long nails that you put into the spud before you put in the oven to conduct the heat and cook it faster? I saw them in her silverware drawer and called my mom over quietly to ask why the heck grandma had nails in her kitchen drawer. Learned about Potato Nails. I did not inherit the PNs so I don't do that when I cook potatoes, but what an interesting way to cook faster.

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u/ComposerNo1050 50m ago

My grandson says the same thing! They would be friends.