How to Bake Red Potatoes

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Red potatoes can make for a delicious side dish when they're prepared correctly. If you want your baking experience to be simple and easy, try making basic red potatoes with just a few ingredients. If you're wanting something a little more flavorful, go for Parmesan herb garlic potatoes. While these are a couple of the more popular ways to bake red potatoes, you can also try twice baking them if you're feeling adventurous.

Ingredients

Basic Baked Red Potatoes

2 pounds (0.91 kg) of redskin potatoes
¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of olive oil
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper

Parmesan Herb Garlic Potatoes

3 pounds (1.4 kg) of redskin potatoes
4 tablespoons (59 ml) of olive oil
6 minced cloves of garlic
1.5 teaspoons (7.4 ml) of salt
1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of dried thyme
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of oregano
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of dried basil
¹⁄₃ cup (79 ml) of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fresh parsley

Twice Baked Potatoes

¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of melted butter
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of buttermilk
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of shredded cheddar cheese
3 chopped strips of bacon
2 minced green onions
Salt
Ground black pepper

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Basic Baked Red Potatoes

1
Wash and chop the potatoes. Turn on your kitchen sink and hold the potatoes underneath the water in a strainer or your hand. Move the potatoes around to ensure they get completely covered in water. Transfer them to a cutting board and use a knife to cut them into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) pieces.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Preheat the oven to 450 °F (232 °C) and grease a baking sheet. Set your oven to 450 °F (232 °C) and ensure that it's completely preheated before you put the potatoes in. Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray so that the potatoes don't adhere to the sheet. Set the baking sheet aside.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Toss the potatoes in a bowl with oil, salt, and pepper. Put the chopped potatoes in a big mixing bowl. Add ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of olive oil, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper. Cover the bowl with a lid and shake it so that the potatoes are evenly coated in oil, salt, and pepper.^{[3]
X
Research source}
4
Bake the potatoes for 10 minutes. Spread the potatoes out evenly on the baking sheet and place them in the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes and take them out of the oven once the timer goes off.^{[4]
X
Research source}
5
Flip the potatoes with a spatula and bake for another 10–20 minutes. Flip the potatoes to ensure that they brown evenly and then put them back in the oven. After the potatoes have baked for another 10 minutes, check on them every 3–5 minutes and remove them from the oven when they're golden brown.^{[5]
X
Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Parmesan Herb Garlic Potatoes

1
Rinse the potatoes and then cut them into pieces. Hold the potatoes under running water in your hands or a strainer and make sure that the water covers all of them. Then, cut the potatoes into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) pieces.^{[6]
X
Research source}
2
Preheat the oven to 400 °F (204 °C) and grease a baking sheet. Start preheating the oven and be sure to wait until it has reached 400 °F (204 °C) before you put the potatoes in. Grease a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray and place it on the counter.^{[7]
X
Research source}
3
Toss the potatoes in a bowl with herbs, oil, and other ingredients. Transfer the chopped potatoes from the cutting board to a large mixing bowl and add in 4 tablespoons (59 ml) of olive oil, 6 minced cloves of garlic, 1.5 teaspoons (7.4 ml) of salt, and 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of ground black pepper. Then, add in 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of dried thyme, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of oregano, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of dried basil, and finally, ¹⁄₃ cup (79 ml) of grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the bowl and toss the potatoes in the ingredients.^{[8]
X
Research source}
4
Bake the potatoes in the oven for 15–20 minutes. Spread the potatoes out evenly onto the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes.^{[9]
X
Research source}
5
Turn the potatoes and bake them for another 15–20 minutes. When the timer goes off, take the potatoes out of the oven just long enough to turn the potatoes with a spatula. Reset the timer and put the potatoes back into the oven.^{[10]
X
Research source}
6
Turn the potatoes again and continue baking until they're golden brown. Once the timer goes off again, take the potatoes out and turn them so that they continue to cook evenly. Put them back into the oven. Once they've baked for 45 minutes total, check on them every couple of minutes. Take them out when they're golden brown.^{[11]
X
Research source}
7
Stir in butter and sprinkle parsley before serving. Once you've removed the potatoes from the oven, put them back into the mixing bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fresh parsley, toss the ingredients once again, and serve.^{[12]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Twice Baked Potatoes

1
Wash the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a strainer or in your hands. Rinse them under running water to clean them off before baking and eating them.
2
Bake the potatoes at 425 °F (218 °C) for 30–40 minutes. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the whole potatoes out onto it. Bake them in the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.^{[13]
X
Research source}
3
Remove the potatoes from the oven and slice off the top of each one. When twice baking larger types of potatoes, it may be best to cut the potatoes in half. Since the redskin potatoes are smaller, just use a knife to slice off the top.^{[14]
X
Research source}
4
Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and place them in a bowl. Scoop out the inside of each potato with a melon baller. Empty the melon baller into a mixing bowl repeatedly until you're finished scooping.^{[15]
X
Research source}
5
Mix in butter, buttermilk, cheese, bacon, onions, salt, and pepper. Add ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of melted butter, ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of buttermilk, ¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) of shredded cheddar cheese, 3 chopped strips of bacon, 2 minced green onions, and salt and pepper to taste to the bowl. Use a hand mixer to mix these ingredients together.^{[16]
X
Research source}
6
Scoop the ingredients back in and bake the potatoes for 8–10 minutes. Lower the oven's temperature to 375 °F (191 °C). Spoon the potato mixture back into the shells and place them back onto the baking sheet. Bake them in the oven for another 8–10 minutes before serving them.^{[17]
X
Research source}