The dud parent, episode II

Toward the end of the hellish holiday break we endured, when, among other things, Brad and Cassie had their wisdom teeth extracted and everyone but me was laid low by a nasty stomach bug (I still feel like I have diarrheic smell molecules stuck in my nose), Mom came to me looking particularly distraught about something. It turns out she had misplaced her Fitbit, which Mom said was the ABSOLUTE WORST THING that had happened during the past couple of weeks. So now you all know where your physical and emotional needs rank on the continuum: somewhere below Mom's Fitbit. And I'm the "dud parent." (Oh, and I found the Fitbit, too, just to avert that crisis.)

We needed some mild food for everyone to eat while recuperating from the stomach bug so we tried this recipe for the "perfect baked potato" from the Cook's Illustrated 2016 Annual that Dylan got for Christmas. For all my complaints about some of the odd things Cook's Illustrated has done when reworking older recipes, this is an example of what they do best—working out a foolproof way to make fluffy baked potatoes, using ordinary techniques and no weird ingredients. We'll be making them this way from here on out.

Fluffy Baked Potatoes

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated #138, Jan/Feb 2016 (with video)

2 tablespoons fine sea salt
½ cup (118 grams) water
4 (7- to 9-ounce) organic russet potatoes, unpeeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
unsalted butter
finishing salt such as fleur de sel or Maldon
freshly ground black pepper

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack inside the baking sheet.
    2. In a medium bowl, dissolve the sea salt in the water. Prick each potato with a fork in 6 places. Toss the potatoes with the salt water until they're wet all over. Place the potatoes on the wire rack. Bake until the center of the largest potato registers 205 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 45 to 60 minutes.
    3. Brush the tops and sides of the potatoes with the oil. Bake 10 minutes more.
    4. Using a sharp paring knife, immediately cut a large X in the top of each potato, then squeeze the ends of each potato to push the flesh up and out. Serve promptly with butter, finishing salt, and pepper to taste. Serves 4.