Baked potatoes are a staple in our home. Whenever we have company over, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be some sort of baked potato on the menu. Whether you’re looking for an easy side or want to up your game with a more creative take on this classic, these baked potatoes are just what you need. These easy baked potatoes are perfect for any casual get-together or fancy dinner with friends and family. You can also pair them with many different meals and other side dishes. Whether it’s something simple like meats, salads or dips, or something more elaborate such as spaghetti and meatballs , these baked potatoes will work perfectly for your next meal.
How to Make Baked Potatoes
These baked potatoes are super simple to make and are a fantastic side dish for just about any meal. The best part is that they are so simple to make, so you can have them on the table in a matter of minutes. You’ll start by lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. Then, peel and slice your potatoes as thinly as you can while still maintaining their shape. Lay the potatoes out on the baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt. Bake the potatoes at 400F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until they are soft when pierced with a fork. While the potatoes are baking, make the toppings for your baked potatoes and salsa. You’ll also want to make a garlic/herb oil so that you can drizzle it over the baked potatoes as they are serving. If you are barbequing, check out how to make grilled baked potatoes.
Variations for Baked Potatoes
No matter what kind of baked potato you’re serving, you can always add some variations to spruce them up and make them even tastier. You can add different toppings, choose different spices and herbs to give your baked potatoes a unique flare. Potato Salad – Potatoes are a great base for potato salad. You can easily add boiled potatoes, sliced potatoes, carrots, and/or red potatoes to make your potato salad more interesting and flavorful. You can also add different vegetables like corn, green beans, bell peppers, celery, apples, or pears. For the dressing, you can make your own mayonnaise or use store-bought dressing. You can add different spices like onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, salt, pepper and even curry powder to give your potato salad a unique flavor. Sweet Potato – Sweet potatoes are definitely delicious, so you might as well make them into baked potatoes. You can either steam or boil sweet potatoes, mash them with butter and salt and add other ingredients such as cinnamon, nutmeg and mashed bananas. You can also make sweet potato muffins and have them as the base of your baked potatoes. Blue Potato – Blue potatoes are purple potatoes that have been treated with a blue dye so that they look blue. They are purple potatoes, not blue potatoes. Blue potatoes can definitely be baked and taste great, but you need to be careful that you don’t overcook them as they become very starchy.
Cream Cheese Baked Potato Variation
When you want to take your baked potatoes to the next level, this creamy cheese baked potato variation is the perfect addition. Creamy, rich and cheesy, this baked potato will definitely make your guests drool. All you have to do is mash the potatoes, add the cream cheese, mix it up and then top it off with whatever you want. Vary it up with different spices, herbs and mustard for a completely different flavor. You can also serve this baked potato with different toppings. Potato salad, salsa, grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled salmon, shrimp, or just add some butter and enjoy it as-is. You can also make mashed potato burritos by wrapping a piece of potato in a tortilla with whatever other ingredients you want.
Stuffed Baked Potato Variation
This stuffed baked potato variation is one of our favorites. It’s a twist on fish stuffed potatoes with a huge addition of shrimp scampi baked inside. You can easily make this baked potato variation at home by mashing the potatoes and adding the scampi. You can also use different seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and paprika to add some flavor to your baked potato. You can also add cheese or different vegetables like tomatoes and corn to make it more interesting. You can also mix up the stuffing by adding different ingredients like prawns, tomatoes, corn, green peas, mushrooms or other vegetables you like. Once your stuffed potatoes are ready, you can serve them as they are or with any other topping you like.
Sweet potato variation
Sweet potatoes are a healthy alternative to white potatoes and are a great source for beta-carotene, vitamins C and B 6, and minerals like manganese and iron. That being said, they are also delicious, so why not make them into baked potatoes? You can steam or boil sweet potatoes, mash them with butter and salt and then serve them as-is or make sweet potato muffins and have them as the base of your baked potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also delicious when baked and make an excellent alternative to white potatoes. You can easily make these baked potatoes at home by mashing the sweet potatoes and adding the scampi. You can also add different seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and curry powder to make your baked potatoes even tastier.
Conclusion
Baked potatoes are an easy and delicious side dish, but they can easily get boring. Now that you have these easy baked potatoes recipes, you can mix things up and spice things up by creating a new variation for each and every occasion.
