The Baked Potato

Ingredients

 * 1 large russet potato (If it looks like Mr. Potato Head, you've got the right one.)
 * Canola oil to coat
 * Kosher salt

Directions
The world's best baked potato goes like this. First, preheat your oven to 350°, then carefully approach the spuds. Here's the secret: Russets. I like Washington State but Idaho is fine, too. Now, the first thing you want to do is go Psycho on the potato. You want to poke holes all over it with a fork. Now that will let steam out as it forms which will help you get that nice, fluffy texture that we all so desire.

Now, into a bowl and give it just a little bit of oil. Now, what this is going to do is give us a kind of a crunchy skin but also because the oil can get so much hotter than the water inside the potato, it's going to regulate the moisture in there and actually gives us that texture that we want. Now, because I like to eat the skins I give it a little bit of kosher salt, just to up the ante.

Now, into the oven. No baking sheet. No pans. Nothing fancy. Just straight into the middle of the oven like that. Now, your average russet is going to be done in about an hour. And there's only one way to tell if it's finished, you've got to give it a squeeze. If the skin feels kind of crunchy but the meat inside is soft, it's dinner time. And unless you like limp, soggy, gummy baked potatoes, please stay away from the foil. If you're in a hurry, you can start a potato in the microwave. Just put it on high for a couple of minutes. But do yourself a favor, finish it in the oven.