For The Easiest Loaded Baked Potatoes Grab This Type Of Baking Pan

Plain baked potatoes are healthy but boring. Fully loaded ones, however, are a different story altogether. If the toppings are sufficiently hearty and protein-packed, they can even transform that tater from a side into a main course. Erin Fletter, who offers kids' cooking classes through her company Sticky Fingers Cooking, has a hack for making them as easily as possible. She advocates using that unsung kitchen hero: the muffin pan. As she enthused, "Using a muffin pan to make loaded baked potatoes is brilliant!"

Muffin pans are convenient for baking single-serve grab-and-go items like breakfast burrito cups or Starbucks-style egg bites, but you may not have thought to use them for cooking potatoes because the average tuber is too big to fit. Fletter has a workaround, though. She slices her potatoes prior to baking, then layers a few slices in each cup. "Stacking is ideal because it gives you a soft center and a crispy top and bottom to each portion," she explained, adding that the cups provide even heat to each potato portion and will bake up much faster than a whole potato. She also pointed out, "Using a muffin pan also makes for easy portion control and saving leftovers."

Another benefit to baking potatoes in muffin pans is that it's easy to individually customize them. "Each potato bite can be made with preferred tastes like garlic, onion, cheese, and more, or they can be topped after baking with all kinds of delicious options," said Erin Fletter. Before you cook the potatoes, you can add the fat of your choice (such as butter or oil) between the layers and sprinkle on your desired toppings (like herbs, spices, or grated cheese). Fletter also suggested adding broth, stock, or cream for richness, although too much liquid might lead to a texture that's more steamed than baked.

After the potatoes are baked, you can really go to town with the toppings. "Sour cream or Greek yogurt is a favorite but also fresh herbs, sauteed vegetables, crisped bacon, salsa, pesto, hot sauce, or other preferred dressings can all make the flavor pop," Fletter opined. Other baked potato toppings that are anything but boring include taco beef, chicken tenders, baked beans, pulled pork, and chili. You could even make a breakfast potato by adding melted cheese, chopped bacon, and an egg baked right on top. Essentially, just about any potato-friendly ingredients will work as long as they fit in the muffin cup.