For the Best Baked Potato, Smash It Like Martha Stewart

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of potato dishes, from mashed potatoes to baked potatoes. However, there’s one particular part in the whole process that’s been irking me just a little: having to scrape or mash the inside of the potatoes manually, be it with a potato ricer, fork, or spatula, to get them soft and fluffy.

Luckily, I recently came across a neat trick for the fluffiest baked potatoes, courtesy of the legendary Martha Stewart. Instead of working up a sweat tenderizing your potatoes, simply smash a baked one against a counter.

How To Smash Your Baked Potatoes

Yes, you heard me right. Here’s what Martha does. She takes a boiling hot potato straight from the oven, cuts a slit in the middle, puts it in a towel, and smashes it on the counter, slit-side down. In Martha’s own words, “That smashing breaks up all the fibers and makes the potato a delightful fluffy creation … " One cathartic smash mashes up the entire baked potato while keeping it in a nice, compact package. 

After smashing the potato, Martha opens the slit, then pats and compacts the potato with her hands (like how you would fluff a pillow), further tenderizing the insides. This also helps keep the potato as one neat little package. Then, she keeps it bougie by loading up her smashed baked potato with crème fraîche and caviar. 

My Experience Making Martha’s Smashed Baked Potatoes

Martha’s smashed baked potatoes looked heavenly, so I just had to try this trick. I washed two Idaho potatoes then poked holes all over them with a fork, whichhelps them release steam and prevents them from exploding in the microwave or oven. Then I rubbed sea salt and olive oil over the potatoes, which helps crisp up the skin. 

I microwaved the potatoes on high for five minutes, flipped them over, then microwaved them again for another five minutes. I just couldn’t wait an hour for baked potatoes (that’s about how long it takes in the oven). The potatoes are ready when the skin is wrinkly and the potato feels tender when you push on it with a finger. 

I cut a slit in the middle of the potatoes, wore an oven mitt, and smashed each potato against the counter, slit-side down. Thanks to my need for catharsis and incredible upper body strength, my first potato became a smushed mess. But hey, I had thoroughly mashed potatoes with little effort. I used a little less strength to smash the next potato, and while the impact against the countertop flatted the potato, it remained intact. 

I flipped it over, fluffed it like a pillow, and seasoned it with a little MSG before topping it with crème fraîche, tobiko (or flying fish roe because I can’t afford fancy caviar on a food writer’s salary), furikake, and chopped green scallions. I mixed the toppings together and the potato flesh was creamy and fluffy, without me needing to scrape the insides with my fork. My adorable Cantonese mother took one bite and could not stop raving about the delicious, soft, and creamy potatoes. “You know I don’t normally like potatoes,” she told me. “But I love this.” 

Kudos to Martha Stewart for this amazing baked potato hack, earning it a permanent spot in my potato playbook. My family can’t get enough, and I’ve seriously needed to release some steam lately, so all that potato smashing hits the spot.