My baked potato recipe is very simple. In case you didn’t know, I love baked potatoes. I haven’t baked sweet potatoes or yams yet, but my wife’s daughter baked a yam, and it tasted great! She cubed it spicing it with garlic baking it for about 45 minutes.
I frequently used to eat at a restaurant where they made baked potatoes. It was an all you can eat place that had a salad bar, soup, their own bread and desert, etc. I believe the place was called the ‘Hometown Buffet’.
I really loved the establishment and felt comfortable there. But, I learned that I must eat differently to keep my weight down, my health good and live the longest. I no longer can eat food that has too much salt, sugar and fat in it.
Nevertheless, I wanted to make my own baked potatoes at home. So, I called the manager at the restaurant and asked his secret. He said he baked them for about fifty minutes at 425 degrees. He gladly told me, but expressed he hoped I would come back to eat them there, instead!
Potatoes got a bad rap!
Now, I hear all kinds of bad stuff about white potatoes raising your blood sugar too high. Don’t believe all you hear. But, being a vegetarian, you learn you can’t be perfect about everything. Yes, we should switch to sweet potatoes and yams, but I love baked white Russet potatoes, and definitely not microwaved potatoes. There is a distinct difference in texture and taste.
There are some myths about the poor baked potato. I think ‘Mr. White Potato’ has been subjected to one injustice after another! But, white potatoes do some good things for you…
- A baked potato doesn’t make you fat
- Bags of processed greasy salty potato chips will
- Being high on the Glycemic Index at about 134 for a medium potato overlooks its great nutritional value
- For example, one of the lowest on the GI is Fructose at 29 which raises cholesterol and triglycerides. It is empty calorie with no protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, or any dietary fiber. The potato is the healthier choice winner!
- A medium white potato has only about 150 calories
- It has a fiber rich skin that’s chewy and delicious when baked!
- It has vitamins, minerals (like Potassium known to fight high blood pressure) and phytochemicals
- The potato is the primary source of nutrition for many populations
- Contains complete nutrition and protein in a nice potato package
- Satisfies the hunger drive because of the carbohydrate content
- You can skip the sour cream, butter and cheese and top it generously with vegetarian chili
How I bake potatoes…
- Regular potatoes are high in pesticides like Strawberries!
- Buy organic potatoes, instead
- Scrub them clean with a brush in the sink under water
- Make sure there aren’t any small hidden rocks or sand for your teeth!
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees for about five minutes
- Stick your potatoes deep to the middle with a knife about five or so times
- Set about four of them on the top shelf of the oven
- Bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on your oven and altitude)
- I cook mine about fifty minutes
- They are done when their skin is crisp sounding like paper when you touch them with a fork
- I eat the skins! My favorite part of the potato!
- Salt and pepper it to taste
- I steam mushrooms, cabbage and broccoli to pour around the potato as the centerpiece in a big bowl
- This proves the simplest plant based whole foods are filling and satisfying
