Stop Crumbling Bacon On Your Baked Potatoes — They're 20x Better When You Do This

Who doesn't love baked potatoes? Piled high with flavorful toppings and full of flavor, baked potatoes are the ultimate savory indulgence. Bacon bits are a given with baked potatoes — these fatty, savory crumbles upgrade almost any dish they're added to. But what if you had more bacon flavor throughout the exterior of the potato instead? Well, you can if you wrap your potatoes in bacon before baking. Sometimes the bacon taste gets lost in the toppings, so using whole strips to wrap the spud can give you a more prominent salty pork flavor.

You'll need a few tricks for this method to guarantee crispy flavor and structural integrity. Start with raw, thinly sliced bacon. Not using thick-cut is key here; the bacon won't fold well around the potato nor will it cook all the way through and get crispy. Wrap a strip or two around an uncooked potato, using toothpicks to secure the bacon and make sure it stays intact throughout the cooking process. For this method, don't use butter or oil on the potatoes — the bacon fat will fulfill that role. The fat will render in the oven, making the skin extra crispy and flavorful. Salt is also not needed here, as the bacon is plenty salty on its own.

Bake your potatoes for an hour or so, making sure to save the bacon grease in the pan after. The oven is preferable for this method, but if you're using the grill, be sure to wrap them in foil so both the potato and the bacon can properly cook all the way through. Once they're done, let cool and then remove your toothpicks. With a wonderful savory aroma and crispy bacon flavor, this method is a must-try for meat lovers or bacon aficionados.

Bacon is pretty magical, and you'll want every ounce of flavor you can get from it when it comes to these potatoes. To take the flavor even further, once your potatoes are baked and sliced, use the leftover bacon grease instead of butter or oil on the inside. Make sure you're properly storing the bacon grease if saving it for later. Utilizing every part of the ingredient is a great way to also reduce waste while cooking, and this tip will have your potatoes bursting with flavor to boot.

For a fun appetizer, you can choose to do this with tiny potatoes. This method is commonly used with roasted veggies or even dates for a last-minute sweet-savory app. Considering the smaller potatoes, you'll want to cut the bacon strips in half before you wrap them though. You can also leave the toothpick in after cooking in this case for guests to easily pick up their bacon-wrapped baby potatoes. 

Top these baked potatoes with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cheese (cheddar or Gruyère are great picks), and some minced chives. As for other add-ins, the possibilities are endless. The sweet, savory flavor of melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions, or even a bit of roasted garlic mixed in, both work. Something about aromatic, cozy flavors like these pair perfectly with a warm baked potato, especially wrapped in bacon. Honestly, not much is needed for these spuds to shine — wrapping them in bacon is a game changing move in itself.