There seems to be more than one way to bake a potato, and since the skin is my favorite part, I pose a question. There is heavily salting the wet potato and putting it in the oven, and there are proponents of oiling the skin. I love the way salted skins crisp up. The question is, what is your preferred method, or is this an IDGAF issue for you?
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I got some beautiful red potatoes on sale (recently). I gave them a good cleaning, then I mixed some olive oil, salt and dill into a very small bowl. I had my foil covered baking sheet ready to go and oven preheated to 425(F)
I dipped my hands into the olive oil, salt and dill mixture and generously rubbed it on the potatoes and onto the baking sheet. I sprinkled a little extra salt & dill on top and baked them off.
The end result was delicious!!
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I like to lightly oil the skin and sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on it before baking. I love the skin!
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Scrubbed clean of course. Not dried. Pierced several times. I’ve gotten lazy and just use olive oil cooking spray and liberally salt with coarse salt. Depending on size 385* til done. Nothing like an oven baked potato. Fluffy inside and crispy outside.
P.S. I thought this thread would be about baked potato skins. You know, the kind with cheddar, bacon, sour cream and a sprinkling of chives. 
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I prefer to pierce a Russet potato at least half a dozen times with a fork, then immerse the potato into fairly heavily salted water. Pat it dry, then into a 450F oven directly on the rack for about 45 minutes to an internal temperature of 205F (time may vary depending on size and shape of the spud). Pull from the oven, cut a pretty good sized slit into it to vent some of the steam, and top with your favorite toppings. I like the classics: S&P, butter, sour cream, and minced chives (although it’s usually green onions at the ricepad pad). The skin comes out crispy, not flabby, and the salt dip at the beginning seasons it just right.
ETA: It’s easiest to dunk the potatoes in a very large jar or small pitcher. Uses a lot less water and much neater than if you use a bowl.
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Lately our russets have been immense. I have opted to stick a stainless skewer through them end to end rather than piercing. It also makes it easy to roll them and sprinkle salt, easier than having them in your hand.
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They’ll cook faster that way, too. Do you eat them like corn on the cob?
I thought that was what this thread was about, too
fancy ones!
A Nigella recipe for loaded potato skins is included in this article.
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Me three. And my experience with loaded skins involves a pitcher of beer, too. ISTR that a local restaurant used to have on their menu a “seven course Irish dinner”, which consisted of six loaded skins and a pitcher of Guinness.
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Yuck, yuck…yes, they also cook more evenly, an important matter when confronting a potato the size of a modern chicken breast. Sheesh, what is it with giant food?
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I love all manner of fancy or loaded potato skins, but my all time favorite is a salt crisped, water not oil, skin with a big blob of salted Kerrygold and a couple of twists of telicherry pepper.
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So you mean the skin of a whole baked potato, not potato skins 
I microwave the potato to get it 75% of the way there, then oil the outside and put it in the oven to finish cooking while crisping up the skin all around.
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The Great Northern Railway and others used to have the Idaho 1# bakers on their menus. I will rub a russet with EVOO, poke it a few times and bake in the jackets @ 400° for 45 minutes or so. If I am just using the skins, I will scoop out the innards when cool enough. I love the skin of the russet and have eaten a whole biggie for a meal in the past. I’ve read that a russet should be soaked in a baking soda solution before baking and temped to 350°.
Favorite toppings: tpslob, sour cream, chives, etc, etc.
Scrubbed and dried with a paper towel, then poked with a fork multiple times all around, then an aluminum nail shoved down the center and into the convection toaster oven at 375° (which is 400° regular oven temp). I turn the potato once halfway through cooking, and check it before an hour is done by poking it with a fork to see if I can hear the “pop” of the tines going into the crispy skin.
Cut in half, potato mashed inside the skin with TPSTOB and salt/pepper, then “fluffed” up and maybe topped with a smidge more butter. Sour cream on the side so I can portion it out. Sometimes chopped scallions or chives on top.
And like @Miss_belle said - I thought this was about just the tater skins like you get in pubs with cheese, bacon, and whatever else you want on them. 
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You may really enjoy Kampot pepper. I used to use telicherry, but Kampot is the only variety I buy now in all of its colours.
Business Insider was my introduction to this wonderful pepper variety.
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The perfect baked potato according to ATK. Pretty much what Ricepad does except they brush with oil 10 minutes before done. If I remember correctly this was Elle’s first time to actually cook in front of the camera.
Oil and salt. 
Last night I washed and dried a russet, pricked all over with a fork. Since I didn’t want to wash an oily bowl, I put the potato into a sandwich ziplock, added a bit of olive oil, then salt. I roasted the potato on the rack of my toaster oven at 450 for about an hour. Skin got nice and crispy and I just tossed out the baggie. Simple, delicious.
The baggie trick is genius!
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Yep. Bake a tater. Cut it in half and scoop out the halves. Fill the void with salted butter and a bit of pepper. It is best enjoyed as an appetizer or dessert.
