Skip The Oil And Basic Butter — Baked Potatoes Are 100% More Delicious Smothered In This

Sometimes the simplest pleasures are the best. Adding cream to coffee can invigorate anyone's morning, and spreading a chunk of butter onto a steaming hot, fluffy spud can turn a plain old baked potato into an absolute delight. But what if there was a better potato topping than butter? Well, there is, and it's none other than butter's toasty cousin: ghee. Often used in Indian cuisine, ghee is a clarified butter that has a lovely sweet, nutty flavor. Adding ghee to your baked potato will infuse the same richness as butter, while also contributing a bit more complexity in flavor, instantly bringing another dimension to the classic comfort dish. Who knows, it just might become your favorite baked potato topping.

Simply spoon one or two tablespoons of ghee to a cooked, open, and fluffed potato. Then, mix it into your potato flesh with a spoon. Add salt and preferred toppings on top. You can also add melted ghee to the exterior of your potato before cooking. This will help crisp up the potato skins and add extra depth of flavor. Plus, ghee's high smoke point will allow you to cook your spud at a high temperature without risking any burning of the fat. You can make the potato skins even tastier by rolling your ghee-d up spuds in coarse salt before baking. It will make the skins the best part of the meal.

If you're up for adding ghee to potato but want a bit more flair in this combo, fear not. There are plenty of ways to upgrade the flavor profile of this combo. For starters, you can enhance the taste of your ghee by infusing it with other flavors or turning it into compound ghee. To make compound ghee, simply mix it with other ingredients, such as garlic or rosemary, then use that to butter up your spud. It is a great way to work in herbs and aromatics into this simple dish, and can help in building a more flavorful baked potato. Plus, it makes for a wonderful base for other toppings, such as sour cream (or maybe even some high-protein canned salmon if you want a less traditional filling).

Speaking of toppings, there are a few add-ons that can really enhance the taste of your ghee-topped potato. One great way to serve up this combo is to make a samosa-inspired baked (or twice baked) potato. Scoop out your baked potato flesh, saute it in ghee with some peas and spices like ground coriander, chili, and turmeric, then spoon this mixture back into the skins, brush on more ghee, and bake. Easy-peasy. Or, you can top your spud with butter chicken or saag paneer for a loaded baked potato spin. You can even play up the toasty taste of ghee by adding a topping of parmesan and pancetta for a carbonara-inspired spud. Feel free to experiment with different combinations and see which toppings work best for you.