Take Your Baked Potatoes To The Next Level With This Cheesy, Crispy Hack

Celebrity chef Alton Brown may think that keeping things simple when making baked potatoes is the key to achieving the best results, but that doesn't stop some people from coming up with new and exciting ways to prepare this humble classic. A TikTok video that has amassed over 600,000 likes online introduces a baked potato hack to the masses, which involves cutting a russet in half lengthwise, oiling and seasoning it, then placing it face side down on top of butter and cheese. The cheese turns crispy after baking, and the spud can be opened like normal to accommodate some exciting baked potato toppings.

@mimis.kitchen__

CRISPY BAKED POTATO HALVES! INGREDIENTS: * 2 large Russet Potatoes * 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil * 2 tablespoons salted butter * 1/4 -1/3 cup shredded Parmesan * Kosher salt * Ground black pepper * Grated cheddar cheese * Chopped scallions and chives * (Can also add chopped cooked bacon or other toppings) DIRECTIONS: * Preheat oven to 425° . Line half baker sheet with parchment paper. * Scrub potatoes as well to get them nice and clean. Cut length wise. Brush both sides of potato with olive oil. Sprinkle well with kosher salt (or garlic salt ) and black pepper. * On parchment paper lay down two small pats of butter per potato. Sprinkle area where potato will lie with shredded Parmesan cheese. Press down each potato, half onto butter and Parmesan. * Bake and preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are tender and nice and golden crispy brown. Removed from oven, sliced lengthwise, and squeeze potato to loosen. Top with favorite toppings. Butter, sour cream, grated cheese, scallions, chives, cooked and chopped bacon, kosher salt and pepper, and any other toppings you like! So delicious and flavorful, including the skin. * ENJOY!! #bakedpotato #potato #baking #foodie #deliciousfood #recipe #recipes #sidedish

♬ Soulmate x Amélie x Interstellar x Passacaglia – edit – Andrea Vanzo

I must say, the result looks appealing, but TikTok fails like the pickled Dr Pepper hack have fooled me before. The Takeout reached out to culinary expert Kieron Hales, the managing partner and head chef at Zingerman's Cornman Farms, to determine if this trick was legit or another example of clickbait. After replicating the idea himself, he wasn't disappointed. "So I had to give it a try, and yes, it is yummy," he said.

However, that doesn't mean this approach to making baked potatoes isn't without its drawbacks. "Does it make for the MOST tender potato? No, but it does cut down the wait," Hales said. Given how long it takes to cook a baker, cutting that time down is a significant advantage. Still, the main appeal seems to be the enticing crunchy cheese. "The crispy cheese is fun to add for my crispy skin, and soft cheese is for me, but I totally get it and was not upset with the switch," Hales said. However, despite giving this hack his seal of approval, Hales has some suggestions to elevate the outcome.

Kieron Hales had some advice for home cooks looking to replicate the TikTok baked potato hack. His first suggestion is to hold off on tossing them in the oven at first. "I would keep the potato whole and steam, then roast," he said. One of Hales' primary criticisms about the TikTok trick was that the result was missing that fluffy, tender starch on the inside. Steaming the veg before baking should fix that problem, albeit by spending more time working on your spuds.

Hales' other objection was that, although the crispy cheese was enticing in its own way, he didn't get to enjoy a softer bite of dairy when digging in. Instead of baking cheese onto the potato, he devised a solution that gives people the best of both worlds. "As for the cheese, I would make a parmesan cheese tuile with a little cayenne pepper for a topper rather than just roast it on cheese. Then I can add my beloved cheese to the fluffy interior and still have a crispy cheese."

Some plain cheddar would do the trick for the softer portion, but if you're going to the trouble of making a parmesan tuile for the crispy part, why not get a little fancier with the remaining toppings? "Aged cheddar like a Lincoln Poachers would be amazing or a great gruyere," Hales said. "To finish, I would still add sour cream and chives, but also some homemade honey mustard and round it out fully with a few chili flakes."