Steak House Baked Potatoes with Horseradish Cream

Take the biggest baking potatoes you can find and wash them well. If you are preparing them for a crowd, use 1 cup of kosher salt for every 1 gallon of water. Use a large deep container—I use a 5-gallon bucket if making very many, or a pretty pitcher to set on the kitchen counter if only making them for my husband and myself. The secret is to put the salt in the water and cover the potatoes for 24 hours. This allows the brine to pull the starch from the potatoes so that when they bake, they are flaky and not gummy.

Make sure your oven is HOT—400 degrees—and dry the potatoes well. Do not puncture the potatoes with a fork! Dry the potatoes well with a dish cloth. You want the water removed before you rub them with solid shortening or olive oil. Rub some kosher salt onto the greased potato and put into a hot oven. Let them bake for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees for the remaining 30 minutes. This will make the outside peel crunchy and the inside soft, flaky and light.

Remove them from the oven and place into squares of foil and wrap tightly. Cut across the top of the foil wrap and put your palms on each end of the potato and squeeze toward the center. Watch the flakiness of the potato pop open. This is where you put the toppings of your choice.

I like to take an electric beater and whip the butter with the sour cream, heavy whipping cream, grated horseradish, and sugar. This is an unbelievable topping that I serve with prime rib. Even if you don’t like horseradish, I promise you will like this.