There are few things as comforting and satisfying as a perfectly baked potato—fluffy and steaming on the inside with a perfectly crisp, seasoned skin. This recipe for Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream elevates that beloved classic to a whole new level with a vibrant and creamy Herb Sour Cream filling, bringing simple, high-quality ingredients together to create something truly special.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
I’m so excited to share my go-to recipe for the ultimate Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream. It’s a dish that celebrates simplicity and comfort. We’ll walk through every step to achieve that perfect baked potato texture: a wonderfully fluffy interior encased in a flavorful, crisp skin. Whether you choose to prepare your potatoes in the oven or on the grill, the result is always fantastic. The star of the show, alongside the potato, is the tangy and rich herb sour cream. It’s loaded with fresh herbs, garlic, and spring onions, creating a creamy filling that perfectly complements the earthy potato. This is a straightforward and simple recipe that works beautifully as a hearty side dish or even as a satisfying main course. Get ready to master this simple recipe and make an unforgettable meal.
In the recipe, I mention that I usually select russet potatoes for my Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream, and there’s a good reason for that. Russet potatoes are a high-starch variety, which is the key to achieving that incredibly light and fluffy interior that makes a baked potato so satisfying. When baked, the starches in a russet expand and separate, creating a soft, floury texture that absorbs the creamy herb sour cream beautifully. Their skin is also thicker and tougher than many other varieties, which means that when you coat it with olive oil and salt, it bakes up into a delightfully crisp skin that provides a wonderful textural contrast to the soft inside. While russet potatoes are my top choice, the recipe notes that most kinds of potatoes will also work. If you use a waxier potato, like a Yukon Gold or a red potato, you’ll get a slightly different result. These potatoes have less starch and more moisture, so their flesh will be denser and creamier rather than fluffy. Their skin is also thinner, so it won’t get quite as crispy. The dish will still be delicious, just with a different texture. The beauty of this simple recipe is its versatility, so feel free to experiment with what you have on hand.
Achieving a perfectly crisp skin is a hallmark of a great baked potato, and a few simple preparation steps are crucial for this. First, it is essential to thoroughly wash the potatoes under cold water. You want to scrub away any dirt or residue, since you’ll be eating the skin. After washing, the next step is just as important: drying them completely with a kitchen towel. If the potato skin is damp, it will steam rather than roast, preventing it from getting crispy. Once your potatoes are bone-dry, I instruct you to drizzle them with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. The olive oil helps the skin to crisp up and become golden brown in the heat of the oven or grill, while also adding its own subtle flavor. The salt does more than just season the skin; it also helps to draw out a little bit of moisture from the surface, further aiding in the crisping process. Taking these few extra minutes to properly prepare the skin will elevate your Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream from good to truly exceptional, making every part of the dish a joy to eat.
My recipe for Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream offers two fantastic methods for cooking: the traditional oven baked method and cooking on the grill. Both will yield a delicious result, but with subtle differences. The oven provides a consistent, dry heat that surrounds the potato, which is ideal for achieving that classic fluffy texture and crisp skin. Baking on a sheet pan ensures they cook evenly. The grill, on the other hand, can impart a wonderful, smoky flavor that you simply can’t replicate indoors, adding another layer of complexity to the dish. Grilling does require a bit more attention to ensure the potatoes don’t burn on one side. The recipe includes a great tip for grill preparation: you can precook the potatoes in boiling water and finish them on the grill for the last 15 minutes. This technique significantly shortens the grilling time and ensures the inside is perfectly cooked through while still allowing the potato to pick up that delicious smoky essence. Whether you opt for the reliability of an oven baked potato or the smoky flavor of the grill, you’re on your way to a perfect base for the creamy herb sour cream filling.
The creamy filling is what truly makes this Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream recipe special. It’s a simple yet flavorful mixture that comes together in minutes. The base is, of course, sour cream, which provides a tangy and rich foundation. I incorporate melted butter into the mix, which adds an incredible richness and a smooth, velvety consistency to the filling. Freshness is key here, which is why the recipe calls for finely chopped spring onions. They provide a mild, crisp bite that cuts through the richness of the cream and butter. You also have the option to add fresh herbs of your choice; I personally love a combination of basil, sage, oregano, and parsley. This is where you can really get creative and tailor the flavor to your liking. Finally, a single clove of grated garlic adds a pungent, savory depth that ties all the flavors together. Whisking everything on high speed incorporates air into the mixture, making it light and creamy. This herb sour cream is the perfect counterpoint to the earthy, fluffy russet potatoes and is essential for the complete experience of this wonderful side dish.
In this recipe, I instruct you to wrap each individual potato in aluminum foil before baking. This is a crucial step for achieving the specific texture we’re aiming for in a classic Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream. The aluminum foil serves a very important purpose: it traps the potato’s natural moisture, effectively steaming the inside as it bakes. This process is what yields an incredibly tender, moist, and fluffy interior. Without the foil, the direct, dry heat of the oven or grill would cause more moisture to escape, potentially resulting in a drier potato. The foil ensures that the heat is distributed evenly around the potato, cooking it uniformly from the inside out. While this method creates a softer skin compared to baking a potato unwrapped, the oil and salt we add beforehand still help to make it flavorful and delicious. It’s the ideal method for creating a potato that is the perfect vessel for our rich and creamy filling.
Knowing when your potato is perfectly cooked is key, and my recipe offers a simple, foolproof method. The goal is a tender interior that is cooked all the way through, with no hard or undercooked spots. The best way to check is with a simple fork test. You should insert a fork into the thickest center part of the largest potato you are cooking. If the fork goes in easily with very little resistance, your potatoes are done. If you have to apply significant pressure or the fork gets stuck, they need more time in the oven or on the grill. The recipe emphasizes that it’s better to cook the potatoes a little longer and possibly overcook them than to undercook them. An undercooked potato will be hard and starchy, while a slightly overcooked one will just be extra fluffy. Don’t be afraid to extend the cooking time by 10-15 minute increments, testing again each time until you achieve that perfect, tender texture. This reliable test ensures your Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream will have the perfect fluffy base every single time.
The final assembly is where all the delicious components of the Baked Potato with Herb Sour Cream come together. Once the potatoes are perfectly cooked, it’s important to handle them carefully as the foil will be very hot. After removing the foil, I instruct you to use a knife to cut a slit lengthwise down the top of each potato, about halfway through. Then comes the fun part: gently squeeze the potato from the short ends. This will cause the slit to open up, revealing the steaming, fluffy interior and creating a perfect little pocket for the filling. If this proves tricky, you can also use two forks to gently pull the potato open. A crucial step that I include is to season the inside of the potato with more salt and pepper at this stage. This ensures the potato itself is seasoned, not just the skin and the topping. Finally, generously spoon the prepared herb sour cream into each potato. This simple recipe for a creamy filling is made to be piled high. For an extra touch, you can top it all off with sautéed, fried, or grilled onions for added texture and savory flavor. This final step turns a simple baked potato into a complete and satisfying dish.
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