BAKED CREAMED POTATOES RECIPES

Steps:

• Position racks in the top and middle of the oven, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Take the butter out of the refrigerator to soften. Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Poke holes all over them with a fork. In a large bowl, toss them with the oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the potatoes directly on the top rack, and place a baking sheet or a piece of foil on the middle rack to catch drips. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin is crisp and potatoes offer no resistance when a knife is inserted in their centers. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Slice the top third lengthwise off the potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4-inch border of potato on the skin, and transfer the flesh to a medium bowl. Scrape the potato tops of all flesh, and add the flesh to the bowl. Place the bottoms on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Snack on the tops — chef's treat — or discard.)
• Mash the potato flesh with a fork or potato masher. Add the butter, and stir until smooth (try not to overwork). Add the milk, sour cream and cheese and stir to combine. (If you want the filling softer, add more milk.) Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, if using.
• Mound each potato skin with a quarter of the filling. Bake the potatoes until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 500°. Prick potatoes all over with a fork (this allows the steam to escape, which helps the insides of the potatoes cook evenly and the skins crisp).
• Working one at a time, drizzle a bit of oil over each potato and rub all over with your hands to cover in a thin, even layer; season with kosher salt and pepper. Set potatoes directly on oven rack and bake until the outsides are deeply browned and crisp and the insides are very tender (a paring knife inserted into the flesh should meet no resistance), 60–70 minutes.
• Using tongs or oven mitts, transfer potatoes to a platter. Set out along with bowls of sour cream, chives, dill, butter, roe, sea salt, and pepper—and whatever else you feel like—and let guests slice open and top to their hearts’ content.