Ina Garten’s Baked Potatoes: My Husband Says They’re The Best He’s Ever Had

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

Baked potatoes are an easy side dish or a light meal—but that doesn’t mean they have to be ho-hum! And no one knows better than the Barefoot Contessa herself about how to take everyday favorites and prepare them in a way that’s extra special and extra flavorful.

Her baked potatoes have wonderfully crispy outsides seasoned with rosemary and thyme. She tops them with an easy, tangy whipped feta cheese blend that just melts into the tender insides of these potatoes. Paired with Ina’s beef tenderloin, what could be better than that?

What makes Ina’s baked potatoes different?

Ina has two techniques that really make these baked potatoes stand out. The first is that she coats the entire potato with a blend of salt, zest and herbs to give the spuds a big boost of flavor. The second is she bakes her potatoes without any foil; the direct heat of the oven crisps up the oil and herb-coated potato skins while the insides become fluffy and tender.

Potatoes as flavorful as these deserve more than just the usual pat of butter or spoonful of sour cream—that’s why Ina tops them with a rich whipped feta topping made with lemon juice and olive oil. The result is a baked potato that’s incredibly indulgent, one that had my husband and me racing for seconds.

How to Make Ina Garten’s Baked Potatoes

Ina’s recipe makes four servings, one potato per serving. Plan for about an hour and 15 minutes total of prep and baking time.

Ingredients

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• Grated zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon coarse fleur de sel or sea salt
• 4 large Idaho baking potatoes (about 8 to 10 ounces each)
• Good olive oil
• Chopped fresh chives or scallion greens

Whipped Feta:

• 6 ounces Greek feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Step 1: Make the herb mixture

Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the chopped rosemary, thyme leaves, lemon zest and fleur de sel in the bowl of a mini food processor. If you don’t have a small food processor, you can use a blender for this step. Pulse the processor until the ingredients are finely minced. Spread the mixture on a shallow plate.

Step 2: Prepare the potatoes

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

Scrub the potatoes clean and dry them well. Pierce them all over with a fork (this allows steam to escape while cooking). Pour some olive oil on a small rimmed plate. Roll each potato in the olive oil to coat them all over. Then, roll each potato in the herb-salt mixture to completely cover them. Place the coated potatoes on the lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Bake the taters

Slide the sheet pan into the oven and bake the potatoes for 60 to 75 minutes until they’re completely tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Step 4: Meanwhile, make the whipped feta

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

While the potatoes are baking, crumble the feta cheese into the bowl of a food processor. Cube the softened cream cheese and add this as well; then run the food processor to combine the cheeses. Pour in the 1/3 cup of olive oil and the lemon juice, and sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Process the ingredients until they’re blended, scraping the bowl down once or twice. Keep the whipped feta in the fridge until the potatoes are ready.

Step 5: Top and serve

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

Use a sharp knife to slit the tops of each baked potato. Squeeze the ends of each potato, pushing them toward the center, to open them up and expose the soft insides. Top each potato with a generous scoop of whipped feta, followed by a sprinkle of chopped chives or scallion greens. Serve them while they’re hot and melty, with any leftover whipped feta on the side.

Tips for Making Ina Garten’s Baked Potatoes

Nancy Mock For Taste of Home

Is block feta or pre-crumbled feta better?

While those packages of pre-crumbled feta cheese are convenient, for the very best whipped topping, whole blocks of fresh feta cheese are your best bet. That’s because the pre-crumbled bits of feta are typically coated with additives to keep them separated, which means they won’t be as smooth when whipped. (The same is true of pre-shredded cheese.) It’s worth the extra time to crumble feta yourself.

How do you whip feta cheese without a food processor?

You can make the whipped feta mixture in a blender, starting with the cheeses and then followed by the liquids, salt and pepper. Another option is a hand mixer, which will also be able to process the ingredients into a creamy blend.

Should baked potatoes be wrapped in foil?

Save the foil for when you’re making campfire potatoes, and skip it for oven-baked potatoes. Why? The foil will hold in steam as the potato cooks, which prevents the skin from getting good and crispy. (That’s a critical part of Ina’s recipe!) The foil layer may also slow the baking, meaning the potatoes will take longer to become tender.

What kind of salt does Ina Garten use?

When Ina calls for kosher salt in her recipes, she always has one particular type in mind: Diamond Kosher Salt, which has very large crystals. For these potatoes, though, she calls for another large-crystal salt; a sea salt known as Fleur de Sel. If you don’t have these and need to substitute finer-grained sea salts or table salt, use less than what’s called for—otherwise the food may taste too salty.