Food and Recipes Veggies Potatoes Are Baked Potatoes Healthy? Nutritionally speaking, potatoes often get a bad rap, but they can be a smart addition to healthful meals. By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola has been on staff at Southern Living since 2015. As Deputy Editor, Lisa manages the food and travel departments and edits those sections of each issue, as well as digital content. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 17, 2023 Medically reviewed by Carolyn O'Neil Fact checked by Elizabeth Berry Fact checked by Elizabeth Berry Elizabeth Berry is a fact checker and writer with over three years of professional experience in the field. She has fact checked lifestyle topics ranging from destination wedding venues to gift guide round-ups for a variety of publications including Brides, The Spruce, and TripSavvy. In addition to her fact checking background, she also has over six years experience of reporting, writing, and copy editing articles for digital magazines including Woman's Day and The Knot. Elizabeth also has a strong background in e-commerce content as both a fact checker and writer. brand's fact checking process Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey Nutritionally speaking, potatoes often get a bad rap, but they can be a smart addition to healthful meals. Not only are they an excellent source of vitamin C, they're rich in vitamin B6, the mineral potassium and a good source of fiber both in the skins and the flesh. Add to that, they're naturally gluten free, fat free, and sodium free. While you may associate potatoes with the carb category, they're actually a good source for plant based protein with 3 grams in a medium sized 5 ounce potato. Obviously, baking is one of the healthiest ways to cook a potato (boiling is fine too), especially if you are going to eat the skins, which are a good source of fiber. But baked potatoes don't have to be loaded with butter, cheese, and sour cream in order to be delicious. If you think of a potato as a vehicle for eating vegetables, you can come up with an endless array of tasty topping ideas that also happen to be good for you. Such toppings might include: cottage cheese, steamed broccoli florets tossed in olive oil with a squeeze of lemon, canned diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning herbs, or plain yogurt with fresh chives. But first, you'll have to bake some potatoes. (Pro tip: Russets are best for baking as they result in a fluffy texture on the inside.) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse potatoes under cold water to remove any excess dirt. Pat dry with a paper towel. Pierce potatoes several times with a fork or paring knife. Drizzle 3 large baking potatoes with 2 tsp. olive or vegetable oil, and rub with 2 tsp. kosher salt. For less sodium, rub the potato skins with salted water before baking. Place on a 15- × 10-inch jelly-roll pan with a wire rack set on top. The rack keeps the potato elevated and allows air to circulate all around for even cooking and no soggy spots. Bake for 1 hour or until the centers are tender; cut in half. Results should be the perfect baked potato—crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and ready to adorn with your favorite toppings. Watch: Here's Why You Should Never Store Potatoes in Your Fridge Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Southern Living is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Potatoes, russet, without skin, raw. FoodData Central.