I love the versatility of a baked potato and I especially love baked potatoes with crispy, seasoned skins. Several years ago, I received a seasoning packet geared just for this as a gift and boy, did they turn out great! While that seasoning packet is long gone, I recently made a batch of baked potatoes with a similar flair and they were well-received by everyone in my family. If you have any leftovers (or planned-overs), I will say that they make great hash browns the next morning!
Ingredients
4 baking potatoes, washed and dried
1-2 TBSP oil
Seasoning blend based on your preferences--I used: ~1/2 tsp black pepper, ~1 tsp salt (flaky sea salt is divine!), ~1/4 tsp granulated garlic, ~1/4 thyme, and a dash of red pepper flakes
Directions
Oven Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Using a fork, poke a few holes throughout each potato.
2. Place oil in your hands and rub generously over each potato. Wash and dry hands.
3. In a small bowl, combine the seasonings that you want to use; then once mixed together, sprinkle the seasoning blend all over each potato.
4. Place on a baking stone or other baking dish and bake for approximately 1 hour (or until desired doneness is reached; I gave one a 'squeeze' with a potholder over my hand to make sure it was soft enough). Split open and top with butter or other desired toppings...enjoy!
Instant-Pot Method
1. Place the trivet into the stainless insert and add 1 cup of water. Next, add the washed and fork-poked potatoes.
2. Use the manual setting button on 'More' and set the timer for 13 minutes (for a medium-sized potato and up to 20 minutes for the jumbo baking russets). Allow to naturally-release.
3. Once done, you can enjoy as is, with your choice of toppings, such as butter, salt and pepper; or, for a fun twist, you can use tongs to gently roll each potato in a small amount of oil and then sprinkle the seasoning mixture (as outlined above) on each potato. Place on an oven-safe pan and heat for about 8 to 10 minutes in a pre-heated 400F oven.