Baked potatoes may not seem like a dish that requires much technique, but there’s a difference between a good baked potato and a great one. Wrapping them in foil can lead to a tender interior but render the skin too soft. For the most crisp skin, bake them right on the oven grate at quite a high temperature. (To make it taste almost like a potato chip, rub those scrubbed russets with vegetable oil and season with plenty of salt.) Shockingly, this doesn’t prevent a fluffy interior—that comes down to the internal temperature reaching at least 212°. Sure, it may seem strange to take your potato’s temperature, but it’s a fail-safe route to the most enjoyable potato.
Some, including the Idaho Potato Commission, swear that the way a baked potato is opened affects the texture, eschewing a knife for a fork to gently poke a plus sign into the surface. Others, like beloved food writer Nigel Slater, prefer to strike the potato as though it were part of a martial arts competition. “Bring your hand down fast and sharp as if you were doing a karate chop but only hard enough to crack open the potato skin,” he writes in a piece for The Guardian. (Whether or not to attempt this feat is literally in the hands of the potato-baker.) We found a single fork-pricked line down the length of the spud is the most effective.
Once opened, a baked potato can be filled with anything from tuna salad to cheesy baked beans. Here, it’s a picadillo-inspired mixture with ground beef (packed with protein, iron, and creatine—though ground turkey or chicken work nicely too) adorned with golden raisins and stuffed olives. A spicy tomato sauce will slowly soak into the potato, further seasoning it with every passing minute. Make sure to use a chili powder that’s a mix of spices like chiles, cumin, oregano, garlic (not just dried ground chiles).
Healthy cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, often the simpler it is, the better it tastes. In Good for You, Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser shares feel-good recipes for any day of the week. Read more: White Potatoes Are Not Empty Calories. They’re Actually Great for You.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Prick 4 large russet potatoes (about 10 oz. each), scrubbed, patted dry, all over with a fork, then rub all over with 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and sprinkle with 1¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Bake directly on oven rack until skins are crisp and flesh is very soft (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 212°–220°), 55–75 minutes. (If thermometer registers 210° before beef mixture is finished, turn off oven and leave potatoes inside until ready to use.)
Step 2
Meanwhile, pick enough leaves from ½ bunch cilantro (about 2 oz.) to measure ½ cup; set aside for serving. Finely chop remaining leaves and all of stems (you should have about ¾ cup); set aside separately.
Step 3
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium. Add 1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped, 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8–10 minutes. Add ¼ cup double-concentrated tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until deepened in color and slightly tacky, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Increase heat to medium-high. Add 1 lb. ground beef, 2 Tbsp. chili powder, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring and smashing often with a heatproof rubber spatula to break up meat, until cooked through, about 4 minutes.
Step 5
Reduce heat to low. Add ½ cup golden raisins, ¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives, reserved chopped cilantro, and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and flavors come together, 8–12 minutes. Taste beef mixture and season with more salt if needed. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit until ready to use.
Step 6
Transfer potatoes to a platter or plates and let cool 5 minutes. Using a fork, prick a 3"–4"-long line in the center down length of each potato, leaving 1" unpricked on each end. Using your hands, firmly press ends down toward platter to split potatoes open. Smash flesh as desired, then season inside of potatoes with salt. Divide beef mixture among potatoes and top with reserved cilantro leaves.
