How to Make Oven Baked Potatoes with Crispy Skin [ +Video]

It’s much easier than you thought to make the perfect Baked Potatoes with crispy skin and that delicious flaked sea salt. So ditch the foil, it’s your number 1 mistake!

Three ingredients and an hour in the oven is all you need for perfectly baked and crispy baked potatoes! Make it a main dish by topping it with the best chili or eat it as a side dish to round out the perfect dinner!

Best Baked Potato Recipe

I ate my baked potatoes with ketchup growing up.  I know. You think I’m crazy. Ok, I lied, I still do it. 🙂

You guys!!! It’s like a french fry if you think about it so it’s not THAT weird, ok. Might as well put it out there that my dad eats peanut butter pickle sandwiches too. NOW THAT IS GROSS!

I’m older, and while it might look like I’m not any wiser, I actually have learned a few things and the first being how to make perfect baked potatoes.

It’s time for Idaho spud harvest so I couldn’t help but talk about potatoes here. I miss spud harvest. I went to college in Idaho and my parents now live there.

The Idaho Potato Commission even took me on a tour of harvest one year. It was my favorite.

Now, I don’t know if anything has changed, but it used to be that the kids got out of school so that they could help with harvest. It was amazing watching everyone have a job from little toddlers to college students. Families and friends, farmers and their help all worked around the clock to put potatoes on your table.

I can still remember the glow of tractor lights when I was walking home from a late library session one night. We actually just bought an investment property in Rexburg, so it seems my heart will always be pulled back there.

What Do You Need to Make Perfect Baked Potatoes?

You don’t need much to make the best baked potato. Here’s all you need to make this “recipe:”

• Russet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Flaked Sea Salt

What Kind of Potatoes for Baked Potatoes?

There are so many types of potatoes out there…red potatoes, yukon golds, fingerlings, russets. For a baked potato, you should always choose a well rounded russet potato for baked potatoes. The fatter, rounder potato will give you more filling and that beautiful fluffy potato when you squeeze it open.

Russet potatoes have a better starch to them, which leads to a fluffier inside once baked.

How to Bake a Potato with Crispy Skin

Making a baked russet potato shouldn’t be so tricky, but if you’ve ever under cooked them, poked a million holes, over cooked it so they skin is like leather, or ended up with a bland potato, you need to read on.

1. Scrub your potatoes to remove any dirt. It seems natural, but a quick wash won’t get rid of the dirt so scrub instead.
2. Dry the p

There aren’t many things that top a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day, but this strawberry lemonade is one of them. And if you’re like me and prefer your drinks a bit less sweet, homemade is the way to go.

You can control the sweetness, and if it’s a lazy summer night, no one is going to judge you for adding a splash of vodka to your glass. Spiked strawberry lemonade? That’s a happy recipe for porch-sitting with friends and family on a Friday night.

I love mixing drinks, both with and without alcohol, in the summertime. There’s something extra refreshing about holding a homemade soda, iced coffee, or a frozen chocolate milk.

Pineapple, mint, and lime combine deliciously to make these irresistible Pineapple Mojitos. These are the cocktails I have made the most frequently for several years now. While I will forever love Classic Mojitos, Blueberry Mojitos, and Basil Mojitos too, the pineapple version is a guaranteed crowd favorite.

Have you heard of a Dirty Banana? I hadn’t until I sailed with Princess Cruises and I have to admit that the name alone made me laugh. Hard. However, the milkshake-like cocktail proved irresistible.

Want something a little unexpected? Sandia en Fuego (a.k.a. the best Watermelon Margaritas of your life!) are a little bit spicy and a little bit sweet. Watermelon meets serrano peppers along with a splash of tequila to make this unforgettable drink. Spicy heat with sweet watermelon? Yes, PLEASE!

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Taco Stir-Fry

This easy Taco Skillet is loaded with all your favorite taco flavors, but made into a quick and easy stir-fry. It will quickly become a new family weeknight dinner favorite!

Serve this up with a side of our amazing black beans and some chips and salsa, and you have a meal the whole family will rave about!

Can we just get an amen for easy, delicious, weeknight dinner meals that the whole family loves?! This Taco Skillet recipe is going to be a new fav for all of those reasons.

I mean, who doesn’t love tacos?!

And when tacos met the easy cooking method of stir-frying everything in one pan —YES PLEASE!

You’ve probably never thought to stir-fry tacos, but I had the thought to give it a try one night and we loved it! I’m issuing you the challenge to try this taco pasta skillet and see if your family loves it!

We seriously do stir fry once a week in our house just because it comes together so quickly. Whether it’s our chicken stir fry, beef stir fry, Thai basil beef stir fry or sesame steak stir fry, we have you covered for a quick and easy weeknight meal!

What’s Needed to Make a Taco Skillet?

This taco pasta skillet is a cinch to make and requires few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for this Mexican-inspired stir-fry:

• Oil
• Butter
• Zucchini
• Onion
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Bell Pepper
• Ground Beef
• Taco Seasoning: Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Oregano, Coriander, Onion Powder, Fine Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Cornstarch, and Cayenne Pepper
• Water
• Frozen Corn
• Jalapeño
• Cilantro
• Angel Hair Pasta

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling for all the details!

How to Make a Taco Skillet

Here are the basic steps for making this recipe. If you keep scrolling to the end of the post, you can see the full recipe in the recipe card.

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and the butter. Add the veggies and begin to sauté until soft. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
2. Start making your pasta according to the package directions in a separate pot.
3. Once the veggies have sauteed, remove
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This watermelon fruit salad features a refreshing, colorful mix of watermelon, cherries, and berries tossed with a handful of fresh mint in a sweet, tangy honey lime dressing.

Watermelon Fruit Salad

We’ve made it to the middle of the summer, and along with the heat, comes the perfect excuse to indulge in all the vibrant, sweet fruits the season offers.

Today, I’m sharing a simple yet irresistible recipe that’s already become my favorite snack this summer.

Someone around here may have made this salad three times in the past couple of weeks just because she kept waking up craving it. Go ahead and call me a fruit addict – I’m fine with that.

My husband handles most of our grocery shopping and at this point, he knows there is going to be a watermelon on the list every single time he heads to the store. I never can get enough of it in the summer.

This watermelon fruit salad is not only a feast for the eyes but also a burst of flavors that will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. Whether you’re hosting a barbecue or just looking for a healthy treat, this salad is easy to make and sure to impress.

Any combination of fruits will work nicely in this recipe. You’ll need a total of 12 cups worth of chopped fruits.

Classic Basil Pesto Sauce

This post covers how to make pesto sauce, how to store it, and more! If you’ve never made homemade pesto before, you’ve been missing out!

This a perfect summer recipe to use up all that basil in the garden! I swear basil multiplies overnight. I can’t keep ahead of it, but homemade pesto is one of my favorite ways to use it up!

Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

I don’t know why, but I had never had pesto until college. At least I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. And I honestly don’t even remember who made it when I did finally have it. All I remember was that it was a basic pesto pasta and I loved it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I ate waaaaaay more than I should have. It was slightly nutty, cheesy, and super fresh. Could there be a better combo? We use pesto all the time now and we even make it a few different ways depending on how much of everything we have like our 15-Minute Pesto Pasta, pesto butter grilled cheese, creamy pesto chicken pizza,  or the bacon pesto grilled cheese sandwich contest I won with Tillamook. However, in the end this is our ultimate, absolute favorite classic pesto recipe.

A classic pesto recipe is easy enough to make, but storing is a bit tricky. I have two ways that I store it and a third that I’ve heard great things about but never tried it. But we can talk about storing it after we discuss the actual classic pesto recipe.

Basil Pesto Recipe Ingredients

This is such an easy pesto recipe! It requires minimal ingredients to whip up. Here’s what all goes into this homemade pesto sauce:

• Fresh Basil
• Garlic Cloves
• Pine Nuts
  • NOTE: The best substitutes for pine nuts are walnuts, almonds or cashews.
• Olive Oil
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • NOTE: The best substitute is pecorino romano cheese.
• Salt

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pesto Sauce

To start this homemade pesto recipe, I just heat up a skillet over medium heat, add both the garlic cloves and the pine nuts and let it cook until golden, shaking the pan occasionally. Then, I remove the nuts and allow the garlic to finish turning golden as well.

An added bonus is that the garlic slides right out of its skin when it’s toasted this way. I love that. So, yes you read right, toast the garlic in its thin skin and then remove after it’s golden.

Place everything except the cheese and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Stir in the cheese and add salt to taste. Yes, making this classic pesto recipe is that easy. If you want to go totally authentic, you can use a mortar and pestle to blend the pesto together.