Ultimate Baked Potato

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, preferably russets
• Canola, vegetable, or olive oil, for rubbing
• 1 stick unsalted butter, diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toppings of your choice, such as grated cheddar cheese, crispy diced bacon bits, minced chives, sliced scallions, and/or sour cream

Directions

1. For the all-oven route, heat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prick the potatoes in several places with a fork or paring knife, then massage a thin coating of oil over each one. Set them on a rack over a baking sheet, or place them straight onto an oven rack, and bake until a fork slips cleanly into the middle of every potato, about 1 hour. If the potatoes are sitting directly on the oven rack, put a piece of foil on the rack underneath to catch any oil that drips.
2. For the microwave-plus-oven route, heat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Prick the potatoes in several places with a fork or paring knife, then microwave them for 5 minutes. Coat each potato lightly with oil. Set them on a rack over a baking sheet, or place them straight onto an oven rack, and bake until a fork slips cleanly into the middle of every potato, about 20 minutes. If the potatoes are sitting directly on the oven rack, put a piece of foil on the rack underneath to catch any oil that drips.
3. Let the potatoes sit for 5 minutes. Cut each potato open lengthwise, then spoon the insides into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, season with salt and pepper, and mash roughly, stopping once the butter is mixed in and the potatoes are still a little chunky.
4. Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the skins. You can fill every skin for 4 smaller potatoes, or pile all the mashed potato into half the skins for 2 overstuffed potatoes. With your hands, gently nudge each filled potato back into that familiar baked-potato shape.
5. Add whichever toppings you like. If you want melted cheese, put it on before the other toppings, then return the potatoes to the oven until the cheese melts, about 1 minute; you can also melt it with a torch. Serve right away.