Your Next Baked Potato Should Be Yukon, Not Reddish Brown.
If you were to order a “baked potato” at a restaurant and were served Yukon Gold, you would probably be a little confused. A baked potato – “jacket potato” in the UK – is canonically reddish brown. But sometimes canon is worth fucking.
Reddish-brown potatoes with thick skins and starchy insides are the standard for baked potatoes. Rigid skin becomes crispy, and fluffy, dry-looking insides ask for butter and sour cream. Yukons, on the other hand, have skins that are thin enough to be blended into puree, and the creamy insides are slightly sweeter than their larger, tougher counterparts. Baking thin-skinned yellow potatoes may seem like a fool’s errand that can result in a scorched outside and a dry inside, but I’m happy to report that it isn’t. Yukons are incredible when baked slowly and slowly.
This is not a new strategy. I first heard about this on Martha Stewart’s Instagram account a couple of years ago. I immediately tried it and then tried to write about it, but was told that frying potatoes was “too obvious”. (In hindsight, the first time I had to fight harder – the Yukon steakhouse-style baking and serving is n’t obvious.)
Cooking yukon at 325℉ for an hour and a half makes it polished and shiny, with a crispy and tender skin that cracks when lightly pressed. It’s a delight in texture, but the interior won me over. It’s fluffy, sure, but still very creamy. Any and all dairy added to it emulsifies straight into the pulp with a slightly sweet flavor that stands up well to heavy salting.
Again, these potatoes are best baked at a low temperature for an extended period of time – 325℉ for 90 minutes to be exact. Martha says “large” yukon, but I baked a small yellow potato with these characteristics and it turned out great. There is no need to oil the potatoes; just place it directly on the grate and let the oven do its thing, then eat your baked yukon like you would normally eat a baked potato. (Fully loaded, next to the steak.)