I don’t know about you, but I love the taste of the skin on potatoes. I learned from my paternal Grandmother many years ago that the skins of potatoes hold so many important nutrients. This is something I learned that has stuck with me through the years. Remembering what my Grandma taught me, I always eat the skin on a baked potato.

Sometimes potatoes get a bad rap … it seems people don’t always like to include potatoes in their diet because they are a starchy vegetable. However, there are so many benefits to eating a potato. Helping to keep blood pressure in check is one of them. White potatoes contain magnesium and potassium, which are both good for heart health.

A lot of times, I will cook my potatoes directly on the rack in the oven. Tonight, however, I wanted to try something new. I cooked them in my cast iron skillet. First, I poked my potatoes a few times with a fork. Next, I rubbed each potato all over with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

I absolutely love the smell of fresh ground pepper. I’m sure there’s a candle out there somewhere with that scent and one day, I’ll find it.

I preheated my oven to 425 degrees and placed the skillet in the oven for 55 minutes. (Check your potatoes at 45 minutes. If it can be pierced easily with a sharp paring knife or fork, your potato is done. Your potato may cook a bit longer or a bit less, depending on it’s size.)

Once the potatoes were done, I put them on a plate, sliced them with a knife and added low fat sour cream, a little more ground pepper and minced parsley. A beautiful crust was formed on our potatoes. I think this had a little something to do with baking it in my cast iron skillet.

We had our potatoes with filet mignon tonight. I love the simplicity of making a baked potato as a side dish. You prepare the potatoes, put them in the oven and forget about them for the next 45-55 minutes.

Ingredients

2 russet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil (1/2 tablespoon per potato)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon per potato)

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (1/2 teaspoon per potato)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and dry potato.
3. Pierce potato with a fork in a few spots.
4. Rub all over with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.
5. Place in cast iron skillet and bake for 45-55 minutes.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris