Want to make the best steakhouse baked potatoes at home? Learn how to achieve that fluffy center and a crispy, salty exterior that crackles when you cut into it.
Why does the restaurant baked potato taste so much better than the one you make at home?
For years, I experimented with different methods, determined to recreate that steakhouse potato in my own kitchen.
I've tried it all: rubbing the skins with oil, wrapping them in foil, even starting them in the microwave to speed things up, soaking potatoes in saltwater brine, hoping to season them from the inside out. I've brushed them with egg whites for extra crispiness and sprinkled them with every style of salt from kosher salt to coarse sea salt. I've placed them directly on the oven racks, and cookie sheets, elevated them on wire racks above sheet pans, and even tried different scoring methods on their skins to release steam.
I've finally unlocked the formula for the ultimate steakhouse baked potato...but the real game-changers? Flakey sea salt and using a thermometer.
It sounds almost too simple, but this one step from the Thermoworks blog changed my baked potato game. No more guessing whether that potato is perfectly done by poking it with a fork or squeezing it. When your potato hits that sweet spot of 205-210°F internally, you're guaranteed that light, fluffy texture every single time.
Whether you are serving these alongside a grilled steak or Perfect Pan-Seared Bone-In Pork Chops (Thick-Cut), or making them for a baked potato bar topped with leftover Pulled Pork or The Best Thick Homemade Chili Recipe With Saltines, get ready to achieve restaurant-quality results in your own kitchen.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a satisfying side, or make it your main entree with customized toppings.
- Affordable - no more spending $10 on loaded baked potatoes at restaurants!
- It can be a perfect dinner for 1, a side for your BBQ, or a main event at your Superbowl watch party.
Ingredients
This is all you need to make steakhouse baked potatoes.
- Russet Potatoes: This variety of potatoes makes the best baked version. Choose very large russet potatoes just like a steakhouse. Check their weight at the grocery store scale to confirm they are 15-16 ounces each. Avoid potatoes with green spots, sprouts, or blemishes.
- Maldon Sea Salt Flakes: Their irregular pyramid-shaped crystals adhere better to the potato skin and hold up through the cooking process. You can find this British salt in many grocery stores including Sprouts, Whole Foods, Costco, and Amazon.
See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
How To Make Baked Potatoes Taste Like They Came From A Restaurant
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉. Thoroughly wash and scrub the russet potatoes with water to remove any surface dirt. Don't dry them. Prick each potato 6-9 times with a fork. This allows steam to escape and prevents the potato from potentially exploding in the oven.
Step 2: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil to help with clean up. Place a metal-wired rack over the lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the Maldon salt flakes over each potato. Rotate the potato while sprinkling the salt over it.
Step 3: Place the salted potatoes on the wire rack. Using a rack helps the oven heat circulate around the potato to achieve that crispy skin. Bake in the oven until their internal temperature is 205-210℉ which takes about 80 minutes.
Make Ahead Instructions
For best results, serve these potatoes within 30 minutes of pulling them from the oven. If you need to make these baked potatoes earlier than your serving time, you can start to cook them up to 3 hours beforehand. Keep them in the warm oven set at 200℉ or your lowest setting until serving.
I have not experienced a successful reheat of baked potatoes to maintain their crispy skin and interior texture although they are still tasty.
FAQ
No. While rubbing oil on your potato skins will help the salt adhere, I do not recommend using any oil before baking your potatoes. In side-by-side tests, the baked potatoes with oil did not have as light and crispy skin as the potatoes without oil.
No! While many recipes call for foil, it actually steams the potato rather than baking it. For that coveted light and crackly skin, leave potatoes unwrapped and place them directly on a wire rack.
Use the suggested time to cook in the recipe. While a thermometer gives the most reliable results, you can test doneness by inserting a toothpick or fork - it should slide in easily with no resistance. The skin should also be crispy and the potato should yield slightly when squeezed (with oven mitts on).
Yes, you can use kosher salt instead of Maldon sea salt flakes. You will notice that kosher salt does not adhere as well to the wet potato skin. If you are trying to make the best steakhouse potatoes, I suggest using Maldon flakes.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and ⭐️ rating below to let us know how it turned out! Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Steakhouse Baked Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 half sized sheet pan (18 inches x 13 inches x 1 inch height)
- 1 cookie sheet metal wire cooling rack To allow oven heat to circulate around the potatoes
- instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes (15-16 ounces each)
- 2 tablespoons Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 ℉.
- Thoroughly wash and scrub the russet potatoes with water to remove any surface dirt. Don't dry them.
- Prick each potato 6-9 times with a fork. This allows steam to escape and prevents the potato from potentially exploding in the oven.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place a metal wired rack over the lined cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle the Maldon salt flakes over each potato. Rotate the potato while sprinkling the salt over it.
- Place the salted potatoes on the wire rack.
- Bake in the oven until their internal temperature is 205-210℉ which takes about 80 minutes.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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