Baked Potatoes Taste Better With A 20-Second Butter Trick

Imagine a buttery, super fluffy, crispy-skinned baked potato, topped with sour cream and maybe some chives or bacon bits. You can practically smell and taste it right now, can't you? It's a staple of many American dinner tables, and is often served as a side to to steak, burgers, or pretty much anything hearty and protein based. It is a classic, yes, but it's often overlooked in terms of preparation methods. For many, making baked potatoes is as simple as washing the spuds, poking them with a fork to vent, and popping 'em in the oven. But this side dish deserves more attention because you can have an even tastier result. One super easy way to amp up your next baked potato? Just add butter — and no, it's not just about adding a dollop of butter into the fluffy potato's interior. 

Rather, the trick is to brush up the exterior of your potatoes with melted butter during the baking process. This will give your spuds a richer, more buttery flavor, and will result in a super crispy skin that is simply irresistible. For best results, you'll want to add your butter about halfway through cooking. Simply remove your half-baked spuds from the oven, then brush on melted butter and pop them back in the oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes. This will help keep your butter from burning while also adding the crispy texture and warm, rich flavor. You can also add a bit of flaky salt to the exterior of your buttered spuds for extra flavor and texture.

The beauty of this baked potato tip is its simplicity. It takes only a few extra seconds to add a bit of butter to your potato skins for a maximally delicious result. However, if this hack doesn't feel quite snazzy enough for you, you can absolutely butter up the deal with even more flavor and texture. For example, rather than using table or kosher salt along with the butter on the exterior of your potatoes, you can use a crunchy finishing salt, such as Alton Brown's favorite Maldon salt. This will add a lovely, delicate, flaky pop to your baked spuds. 

You can also use a compound butter if you'd like to add even more depth. A dill- or chive-infused butter, or a classic cowboy butter, will bring a great amount of flavor and complexity even before you add a single dollop of topping. If you do use a compound butter, especially one with fresh herbs, be sure to monitor your potatoes as they cook so that the herbs don't burn. If you're worried about this, you can use a heartier alternative, such as bacon grease compound butter, which will add a nice meaty flavor. 

That said, if you're worried about burning your butter (it has a smoke point of about 350 degrees Fahrenheit), but still want its richness and crisping ability, you can always use ghee instead. Ghee has a toasty, nutty flavor and a much higher smoke point of 485 degrees Fahrenheit. It is an absolutely delicious alternative to use for this hack.