Kitchen Helper - Cook Potatoes in no Time
How to use the microwave to cook potatoes in no time
Roasting whole potatoes in the oven is a time-consuming effort – it can take up to an hour to roast a whole potato (especially a large one which you want to stuff).
Baked potatoes in their jackets are a delicious, nutritious and economical meal (have a look at these ideas for inspiration).Take this short cut to speed up the “roasting” process:
-
Scrub your potato very well and dry with a paper towel.
-
Poke several holes in it with a fork or knife tip. This will allow steam to escape resulting in a crispy skin and fluffy interior.
-
Microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes – test for ‘doneness’ with a fork or knife and return to the microwave for 2-3 minutes if needed.
-
Take it out (with tongs or oven mitts – it will be very hot), slice in half, and top with your favourite topping – perhaps simply butter, sea salt and sour cream, or something more substantial like a pre-made Hill Street Bolognese sauce and some freshly grated Parmigiano.
Other potato pointers
-
Always use the right potato for the job – In Tassie we know our spuds and a big Kennebec is perfect for a jacket potato as it has a white fluffy interior. Pinkeyes or Dutch Creams on the other hand, are ideal for potato salads.
-
When a recipe says to par-boil your potatoes, you can do this in the microwave instead. Simply follow the recipe steps (such as whether the potato should be peeled), pierce a few times with a fork and microwave for 4-5 minutes before resuming the recipe.
-
The perfect ‘smashed’ potato can be achieved by par-cooking the potatoes in the microwave (if you have several potatoes you may have to increase the cooking time to 8-10 minutes), then take them out, push them down with a sturdy flat object such as the base of a bowl to squash them slightly, then rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and put them in a preheated oven to finish cooking and to crisp up.
