Ohhh boy, was I wrong!

You cannot make a baked potato in the microwave, hence the term baked. Who knew?! (not me)

Do not prick the potato! Do not bake it wrapped in foil! Do enjoy a perfect baked potato!

Here is how to make the perfect baked potato in a few simple steps.

1) Wash and dry your potatoes well. You want to choose potatoes that are close to the same size so they will cook evenly. (large russetts work great)

2) Rub olive oil liberally all over the skins of those bad boys. Do not prick the potatoes!

3 ) Roll the potatoes in kosher salt, coating the skins well. This can be done by covering a large plate or filling a bowl with a hefty amount of the salt. Place them in a 13×9 baking dish to prevent splatters while cooking.

4) Preheat the oven to 400. Bake potatoes for 1 hour, turning over after 30 minutes for even cooking and no explosions.

5) Remove potatoes from the oven and wrap in foil. The important part here is to not keep them wrapped longer than 10 minutes. That will create a soggy potato. Secondly, don’t burn your fingers…these babies are hot! Now, with oven-mitted hands pick up each wrapped potato and give it a few squeezes. You will feel it mashing up inside your hands. This step is crucial for a flaky-and-fluffy-when-opened potato.

Serve in or out of the foil, although the skin is so delicious and pretty by this point that you might want to flaunt it on a plate. And with just one cut along the top of the potato, the recipient will be amazed!