Fancy Fanned Potato

Makes 1

Ingredients

  • 1 medium russet potato, peeled
  • 2-3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • pinch of sea salt or kosher salt

For Serving (Optional)

  • grated Parmesan cheese
  • sliced scallions
  • sour cream

How-to

  1. Preheat oven to 450°
  2. Wash potato thoroughly under cold water, remove imperfections, then peel. (If you are making more than one potato at a time, leave potatoes submerged in ice water to prevent discoloring)
  3. Make a thin, flat slice on the bottom to help the potato lie flat
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice each potato crosswise making thin (no more than ¼") slices, almost - but not all the way through - to ¼" from the bottom of the potato. Take your time to prevent cutting through the potato or it will fall apart in the oven
  5. Dry potato well and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to coat with oil (only use as much as you need to coat, because you will continue to baste potato as it cooks)
  6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes
  7. Remove foil, baste with oil, bake for an additional 45 minutes, basting again with oil halfway through
  8. To reach a deep golden color, baste a final time with oil and dust with salt across top
  9. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning
  10. Serve with sliced scallions and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese or sour cream for dipping