For a classic baked potato, you need a Russet (sometimes called an Idaho potato). This is the king of baking. It’s a big, brown, slightly ugly potato, but beauty is on the inside.
Russets are high in starch and low in moisture. When you bake them, that starch turns into a fluffy, cloud-like interior. It’s the potato equivalent of a marshmallow—but, you know, savory.
These potatoes also have a thick skin. That skin gets crispy and chewy in the oven, providing the perfect texture contrast. It’s nature’s built-in potato chip wrapper.
The Waxy No-Nos
Now, let’s talk about what not to do. Avoid waxy potatoes like Red Bliss, Yukon Gold, or Fingerlings. These have thin skins and hold their shape when boiled.
If you bake a Yukon Gold, you’ll get a dense, creamy interior. That’s lovely for mashed potatoes or roasted wedges, but it’s a sad, heavy lump for a baked potato. It’s like expecting a pillow fight and getting a brick to the face.
Waxy potatoes just don’t fluff. You could stab them with a fork a hundred times, and they’d still be stubbornly smooth. Let them be themselves in a salad, okay?
