Supercharge Your Baked Potato With These Lox Bagel-Inspired Toppings

Baked potatoes have long been considered a versatile food that can accompany a wide range of toppings. However, next to using standard ingredients to upgrade basic baked potatoes like quality salt, butter, and spoonfuls of sour cream, you may want to adorn your potatoes with more unexpected toppings that are full of flavor. More specifically, if you enjoy smoked salmon, try turning your next round of baked potatoes into a satisfying lox-inspired meal. The starchy base of freshly-cooked potatoes can easily accommodate the addition of smoked salmon along with many other bold toppings.

While lox or smoked salmon is typically served atop toasted bagels, using baked potatoes gives you more creative wiggle room when preparing and serving. To start, give your baked potatoes next-level flavor with one simple step and season them toward the end of baking. Once they're pulled from the oven and cut down the center, you can then top your spuds with classic or unique toppings found on lox bagels. Besides using fresh extras like sliced red onion, capers, scallions, and dill, you should be mindful when choosing your fish. 

While you can certainly use lox or cold smoked salmon, which have exceedingly soft textures and are best served cold or at room temperature, you can also use hot smoked salmon. The latter has a firmer, more meaty consistency and can be enjoyed either hot or cold. This dish can also be prepared with fully-cooked salmon, which can easily be added to your potatoes hot from a skillet or roasting pan. 

Besides choosing the right salmon for the job, you also have many delicious options when it comes to dressing your baked potatoes in cream-based condiments. To give this alternative dish the same creamy flavor as bagels and lox, add a smear of cream cheese to your potatoes when serving. Though, if you find the texture of cold cream cheese too thick to enjoy with warm, baked potatoes, consider making a twice-baked variation for a more even consistency. 

Bake your potatoes as usual, but scoop out the flesh from each half and add it to a mixing bowl with room temperature cream cheese, chopped smoked salmon, and dill. Once all the ingredients have been gently combined, re-stuff your potatoes and heat them in your oven for an additional five minutes. You can also flavor this salmon-inspired meal with other condiments besides cream cheese. 

Transform heavy cream into sour cream with one easy addition like lemon juice. Simply allow the combined ingredients to sit overnight and then, once thickened, add some flavorful extras like chopped garlic, scallions, or fresh dill. For a more distinct bite, mix in some jarred horseradish or capers. To simplify preparation, you can also use store-bought sour cream or Greek yogurt for a high-protein alternative. Fortunately, there are many ways to prepare lox bagel-inspired baked potatoes to fit your taste buds.