The inside scoop Russet potatoes are the most popular choice for baking and quite rightly so. Their rough brown skin gives way to an interior that is low in moisture and high in starch, ideal traits for a baker. Other potatoes are suitable for baking, allowing for interest and variety on menus. Yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yellow Finns and Yukon Golds are distinguished by a golden interior and a moist, succulent texture. Perhaps only through power of suggestion, the color often makes diners think the potatoes taste buttery even when they're served plain.
Sweet potatoes belong to another family entirely but they, too, can be baked.
Again, their vibrant color and subtly sweet taste make the use of calorie-rich toppings unnecessary. Top down Toppings traditionally have been nutritionally troubling. At about 100 calories of fat per tablespoon, butter and margarine add up pretty quickly. Sour cream tallies in less but tends to be spooned on in billowing mounds. The accompanying recipes for baked potatoes are great ways to keep the core ingredient that customers love.