Microwave Baked Potatoes in Minutes With These Simple Instructions

There is no shortage of ways to enjoy potatoes, whether you like them mashed, fried, or of course baked. Baked potatoes are easy and versatile. You can make this dish your own by topping it with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, chives, chili, and more. However, you need to start with a perfectly cooked potato.

Baked potatoes are commonly cooked in the oven, but this is a time-consuming process. A quicker option is to cook potatoes in the microwave. This can be done to make a delicious and easy baked potato, but it's incredibly important to follow a few crucial steps or you may have a mess on your hands.

Baked potatoes have been one of those side dishes that have been around for as long as we all can remember. For years, it's been served as the perfect accompaniment to a main dish. But where did it get its start? It's known to be dated as early back as 500 B.C. in the ancient ruins of Peru and Chile, where it was worshipped. Since then it's grown in popularity and it's seen many variations.

As mentioned earlier, the process of cooking a baked potato in the microwave is not as complicated as it may seem, but there are specific things to remember to make sure your potato is cooked through and to make it extra tasty:

• Be sure to scrub the outside of your potato and dry it before doing anything else.
• With a fork or a knife, poke multiple holes on either side of the potato. This allows the steam to be released from the potato and prevents it from exploding in the microwave.
• Be sure to add salt to your potato, as well as olive oil, to give it that nice crunch.
• After it's done in the microwave, slide a knife into the center to make sure it's cooked thoroughly. If there is resistance, it may need to be cooked longer.

Before we get ahead of ourselves and go straight to the recipe, it's important to decide how you want to enjoy your baked potato. Because there are endless ways you can top potatoes, you're likely to never run out of ideas. Here are just a few to consider:

• Taco Stuffed Baked Potato — When it's Taco Tuesday and all you want is a carb-loaded potato, this recipe has got you covered. And it's considered a main dish!
• Breakfast Baked Potato — Who knew you could enjoy a delicious baked potato at breakfast? Just top with eggs, bacon, cheese, or whatever your favorite breakfast toppings are, and you're ready to start your day.
• Easy Chili — We're a fan of this if you're trying to figure out what to do with that leftover chili. Just heat it up, stuff it into your potato, and top it with shredded cheese.
• Cheddar and Spinach — This almost doesn't feel like an indulgence when you add healthy spinach to the mix. Mix in the spinach, top with cheese, and melt it a little more in the microwave!

Now that you have your basics down and know how to serve it, let's show you how exactly to make the perfect potato in the microwave. Enjoy!

• 4 large russet potatoes
• Butter
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/2 c chopped green onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

1. Scrub the potatoes and pierce each one several times with a fork.
2. Dust potatoes lightly with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Microwave potatoes for 5-6 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Chop green onions.
5. Remove the potatoes from the microwave, and let them cool for a few minutes.
6. Cut a slit in the top of each potato, and fluff up the insides with a fork.
7. Set out the butter, sour cream, and chopped chives in separate bowls, and place them next to the potatoes.
8. Let each person build their own baked potato, by adding pat of butter, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: We recommend cooking 1-2 potatoes at a time. Otherwise, you may need to adjust the cooking time.