Dolly's Baked Potato

In 2024, Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George shared their favorite loaded baked potato in their cookbook, Good Lookin' Cookin'.

In Dolly's words: "Hey, good lookin'-what ya got cookin'?" It's a phrase from the old Hank Williams song we've used forever when we walk into someone's kitchen. Sometimes we say it; sometimes we sing it."

What I love about this recipe, besides that it came from Dolly, is that the potato is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. For the photos, I added salt, ancho chili pepper, plant-based butter, yogurt, fresh chopped chives, and some pickled jalapeños. Honestly, it's what I had around. To do it like Dolly would, add sour cream, butter or whipped butter, crispy bacon bits, and fresh chopped chives.

Use dry russet potatoes. Don't wrap them in foil, poke them, or oil the skin. Clean them if needed and then dry them with a towel.

Bake at 450℉. Preheat your oven to 450℉ and place the potatoes directly on the oven rack. Bake for about 50 minutes to get a crispy skin and a fluffy inside.

Add toppings. Do what you love. It's your potato. I usually add salt and butter, but I took a cue from Dolly and added more. Now I want to experiment and try even more toppings.

Resistant starch potatoes. If you want to increase the amount of resistant starch in the potatoes, cool them after baking and then cover and store them in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Take them out when you're ready, reheat them at 400℉ for about 15 minutes and then serve hot or very warm with toppings.

This post is in honor of Dolly Parton, who passed last week, August 25, 2026.