Dolly Parton tends to have her hands in the kitchen often, from the drop of her “Jolene” inspired cast-iron pan to her pumpkin spice cookie mix and upcoming cookbook, Good Lookin’ Cookin’. But one thing she always makes time for is the special moments with her family. In a recent interview with AllRecipes, the singer and songwriter shared a bunch of her family’s kitchen tips, including one from her youngest sister, Rachel Parton George, that we couldn’t ignore calling out the best way to make baked potatoes.
In the interview, Dolly, who is publishing her newest cookbook in partnership with her youngest sister, shared that the best way to prepare baked potatoes is to make sure they’re dried after washing them and to cook them directly on the oven rack.
“When we were putting the book together, they kept saying, ‘Are you sure you need another potato recipe?’ and we said, ‘Yeah—we love potatoes,’” Parton said in the interview.
Baked potatoes, in particular, offer such a delicious route plastered with endless opportunities. You can top them with bacon, chili, or a comforting serving of curry chickpeas.
While they’re delicious and easy to customize, there’s nothing worse than spending loads of time perfecting the toppings for one of these baked potatoes, only to unwrap it from the foil and encounter a soggy spud.
Kristina Razon, the deputy food editor here at The Kitchn, says one of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking these spuds is wrapping them in aluminum foil. “You’ll get the best results if you expose the skin to the oven’s dry heat,” she explains.
While Dolly and her sister didn’t share explicit details on their baked potato process, keep yours foil-free to avoid soggy bites. Razon also points out that brushing your taters in olive oil will help achieve perfectly crispy skin. That way when you come home from your nine-to-five, you can rest assured you’re taking all proper steps to make those most delicious spuds.