Awesome Baked Potato Bar

Awesome Baked Potato Bar is going to be your new go to recipe for gatherings for both your standard Idaho potatoes with bacon, veggies and cheese or sweet potatoes with an apple pecan topping. 

Awesome Baked Potato Bar for a Party Idea

Did you know that September in the USA is National Potato Month? A great way to celebrate this vegetable is with a baked potato bar. In addition, with all the football weekends and many friends and families that will be congregating in our homes, a baked potato bar is just the solution. Awesome Baked Potato Bar is quick, easy, and tasty party food. In addition, because everyone makes their own creation with their own choice of toppings, everyone is happy.

My teenage boys have been quoted saying that the potato is the most perfect food. It actually is. I know that carbohydrate conscious diets give this vegetable a hard blow but look what it has packed it in. A medium-size 150 g (5.3 oz) potato with the skin provides 27 mg of vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

 The fiber content of a potato with skin (2 g) is equivalent to that of many whole grain breads pasta and cereals. So go ahead and put this vegetable back on your healthy list and make some wise and healthy choices for your toppings. Or, you can go absolutely crazy with all of the tasty toppings you can think of and wash it down with a rootbeer for the teenagers or a beer for the adults and start your diet in the morning.  After all, it is the weekend.

We decided to make both regular Idaho baked savory potatoes and sweet potatoes for the football weekend game.  Baked potatoes that are baked perfectly have a crunchy skin and a light and fluffy potato in the inside. Awesome Baked Potato Bar is fabulous comfort food!

Now comes the fun part is having numerous selection of topping for your guest to enjoy placing on top of their potato. Now you just need to set up an area in your home or your tailgating picnic area for the potatoes, plates, utensils and all the toppings for the baked potato bar. The sky is the limit. Here are just some of our family and friends favorite combinations.

Baked Savory Potato Topping Ideas: 

1) steamed broccoli, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chives

2) chili and cheddar cheese

3) melted cheese, salsa, and jalapeno peppers

4) plain with butter and salt and pepper

5) melted cheese and bacon

6) marinated roasted peppers, artichokes and goat cheese with chopped olives and chives

7) sauteed rashers chopped with grated swiss cheese

8) cream cheese, bacon and sauteed onions

9) sauteed ham and melted cheese

10) grilled chicken and guacamole

11) sauteed mushrooms in butter, white wine, parsley, salt and pepper and add a drizzle of cream and serve hot over baked potato.

12) pesto, grilled asparagus, goat cheese and fresh rocket (arugula)

Sweet Potato Topping Ideas

1) sauteed apples and cinnamon, candied pecans, roasted pumpkin seeds.

2)cinnamon sugar, butter and maple syrup

3) marshmallows and candied pecans (Put handful of marshmallows in the sweet potato and put back into the oven on broil for 1-2 minutes just until marshmallows slightly golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with candied pecans)

4) cooked ground Italian sausage and baked beans

5) canned cranberry compote, brie cheese, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts on top

As you can see the sky is the limit for toppings and creativity. Enjoy your weekend and make it a fun one with family and friends and an awesome baked potato bar. Please let us know some of your creative baked potato topping ideas, we would love to hear from you. Take Care!

More Potato Recipes

Crispy Roasted Red Potatoes and Cabbage

Herbs de Provence Baby Potatoes and Tomatoes

Baked Chorizo Crusted Fish and Potatoes

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Awesome Baked Potato Bar

Awesome Baked Potato Bar is going to be your new go to recipe for gatherings for both your standard Idaho potatoes with bacon, veggies and cheese or sweet potatoes with an apple pecan topping. 

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Potatoes

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 8

Calories: 162kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

• ▢ Idaho Potato or Sweet potato - 8 whole
  
• ▢
  olive oil - 1 tablespoon
• ▢
  salt - as desired
• ▢
  aluminum foil - to protect your baking pan

Sauteed Apples for Sweet Potato Topping

• ▢ butter - 1 tablespoon
• ▢ 4 apples peeled and chopped
• ▢ juice of ½ lemon
• ▢ cinnamon - 2 teaspoon
  1 teaspoon of cinnamon for the apples and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for the sugared pecans.
• ▢ pecans - 1 cup
• ▢ sugar - ⅛ cup
  

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat oven : The higher the temperature and the shorter the baking time the crispier the potato skin

  If you have a conventional oven you can cook about 4 potatoes in this time frame frame depending on the ability of your oven. (NOTE: if you are cooking more than 4 potatoes at a time you will need to increase your cooking time by about 15 minutes)

  45 minutes at 400 degrees F (204 Celsius)

  60 minutes at 350 degrees F (176 Celsius)

  90 minutes at 325 degrees F (162 Celsius)
• Wash and scrub potatoes thoroughly and allow to dry
• Pierce potato with a fork several times to allow the steam to escape
• Line your baking pan with aluminum foil to reduce clean up time.
• Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and rub potato to get oil and salt on entire potato.
• Place in oven and cook for the times above.
• Potatoes are cooked to perfection when they are tender when pierced with a fork and/or the internal temperature reaches 210 F.  

Make the Apple and Pecan Topping for Sweet Potatoes

• Add butter to your pan and allow to melt. Then, add apples, cinnamon and sugar and cook over medium heat until adente about 10 minutes.
• To make the sugared pecans, place the pecans, sugar and cinnamon in a pan over low medium heat and allow the sugar to melt. Place your cooked pecans on a dish lined with waxed paper. Immediately get that pan that you just cooked your candied pecans soaking. You can thank us later... and any spoons or spatulas you used.
• Now comes the fun part is having numerous selection of topping for your guest to enjoy placing on top of their potato. Now you just need to set up an area in your home or your tailgating picnic area for the potatoes, plates, utensils and all the toppings for the baked potato bar. The sky is the limit. Check out our topping ideas in the recipe notes below.

Notes

Do NOT wrap up your baked potatoes in aluminum foil as this will make the skin soggy. Instead just place your potatoes on a lined baking sheet to bake to get that crispy skin and fluffy interior potato.

Baked Savory Potato Topping Ideas: 

1) steamed broccoli, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chives

2) chili and cheddar cheese

3) melted cheese, salsa, and jalapeno peppers

4) plain with butter and salt and pepper

5) melted cheese and bacon

6) marinated roasted peppers, artichokes and goat cheese with chopped olives and chives

7) sauteed rashers chopped with grated swiss cheese

8) cream cheese, bacon and sauteed onions

9) sauteed ham and melted cheese

10) grilled chicken and guacamole

11) sauteed mushrooms in butter, white wine, parsley, salt and pepper and add a drizzle of cream and serve hot over baked potato.

12) pesto, grilled asparagus, goat cheese and fresh rocket (arugula)

Baked Sweet Potato Topping Ideas:

1) sauteed apples and cinnamon, candied pecans, roasted pumpkin seeds. 

2)cinnamon sugar, butter and maple syrup

3) marshmallows and candied pecans (Put handful of marshmallows in the sweet potato and put back into the oven on broil for 1-2 minutes just until marshmallows slightly golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with candied pecans)

4) cooked ground Italian sausage and baked beans

5) canned cranberry compote, brie cheese, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts on top

As you can see the sky is the limit for toppings and creativity. Enjoy your weekend and make it a fun one with family and friends and an awesome baked potato bar. Please let us know some of your creative baked potato topping ideas, we would love to hear from you. FYI Calorie information displayed is for a plain Idaho potato rubbed with olive oil and salt without toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.5g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 2.5g

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