Baked Potato

Method

1. peel5 min
   scrubbed under cold water, then dried completely
   potatoes scrubbed and dried thoroughly — skin on. Dry matters as much here as on a steak: a wet skin holds at 100°C until the water has gone, and that is time not spent crisping
2. score2 min
   pricked 6-8 times with a fork, all over
   the skin pierced several times. Steam builds inside a sealed potato as its water turns to vapour, and while a burst potato is rare it is spectacular and entirely avoidable
3. season2 min
   oil rubbed over the whole skin, then coarse salt
   + oil + salt rubbed in. Oil is a heat-transfer medium and helps the skin reach crisping temperature; the coarse salt also draws a little surface moisture out, which is working in the same direction
4. bake55 min
   220°C, directly on the oven rack, NOT wrapped, until 96-99°C internal
   until a skewer meets no resistance at the centre and the skin is dry and papery. Straight on the rack so hot air circulates all round — a potato sitting on a tray has one soft face. Never foil: it traps steam against the skin and produces a boiled potato in a bag
5. rest4 min
   cut open immediately, squeezed from the ends, then left a moment
   split lengthways the moment it comes out and pressed from both ends so the interior opens and steams. Letting that steam escape is what makes the inside fluffy rather than dense — a potato left whole reabsorbs its own moisture within minutes (+ butter, + sour cream, + cheese, + chives, + bacon, + pepper)