So, here’s how it all began. I was itching for some potato skins. I had all the ingredients and set to work. The first step being to bake the potatoes, of course.
In the past few weeks I have had several people comment on the fact that I always wrap my baked potatoes in foil for baking. Suggesting that perhaps I was weird in doing so. I don’t have a real reason why I wrap mine, just that my Mom did, and restaurants do, so whatever. Perhaps, I thought, this would be a good time to try baking them unwraped. Since skins are nice if they’re a little crispier and all.
I washed them up, pierced them with a fork (three times on each side) and tossed them in.
Just under an hour later, I was on the phone with Deborah and had just heard Tim hollering from his room that he was ready to get up (“Mommmmmeeeeeeee, whar you!!??!), and was ready to take the potatoes from the oven when I heard a terrible thud-type noise. I panicked a little thinking that Tim had perhaps tried to climb from his crib and crashed to the floor on his head, so while still on the phone, I dashed up the stairs to check on Tim. He was fine. Just playing with his bucket of cars and waiting for me. I got off the phone, got him up and headed back downstairs. All was well.
Until this:
I didn’t know potatoes would actually do this. Well, not to ME anyway. Never mind the messy oven otherwise, at least I had a piece of foil at the bottom to make the clean up a bit easier. This is the week I plan to run the self-cleaning cycle on my oven. Maybe I’ll show you how it cleans up later.
Hm. I didn’t know that either. I’ve never had that happen. Do show the results of the oven cleaning. I wish I had a self-cleaning oven.
COOL! I’m going right home and baking a potato w/o foil (I’m a foiler too).
How did the non-exploding, non-wrapped potatoes taste? Could you tell any difference?
I am sure it tasted a little starchy.
You should tell that sweet potato lady that Lauren talks about. She seems to like exploding food.
The exploding potato scene is one of the most exciting sections in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Almanzo and his sister are helping their father harvest potatoes on a freezing morning. They put a potato in the coals of the fire to bake, and as they stand there warming their hands – POW! It explodes and gets one of ‘em in the eye!!! (I forget who.)
It’s a great lesson on the power of steam for my preschoolers.
Proof yet again, that it’s never any fun until someone gets smacked in the eye…