WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 11: Martha Stewart at the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award on March 11, 2022 in Washington, DC honoring Diane von Furstenberg. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation)
Food - Drink
The Unique Way Martha Stewart's Las Vegas Restaurant Serves Baked Potatoes
By JENNY KELLERHALS
The Bedford by Martha Stewart in the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas serves a special baked potato with a perfectly fluffy and soft texture. Stewart begins with a russet potato and prepares it the usual way — wash, dry, and prick with a fork — before giving the skin a quick brush of olive oil and sprinkling it with kosher salt.
The potato is then placed directly on the rack or a baking sheet and baked for about an hour at 400°F, or until fork tender, and will be ready to eat the moment they come out of the oven. Stewart then instructs to take the potatoes out of the oven and use a thick, dry, clean dish towel to pick up a potato and slam it on the counter.
You don’t want to slam the potato so hard that potato pieces fly across the kitchen, but just enough to disrupt the insides and tear open the skin, revealing a super-fluffy interior. It’s normal for Stewart's baked potatoes to lose their shape due to their extra fluffiness, but they can be coaxed back into a neat potato shape before serving.
At her restaurant, Martha's Smashed Baked Potato comes with crème fraîche, chives, and bacon lardons — though it can be upgraded to include Golden Osetra caviar. As Stewart demonstrates, you'll want to add salt, pepper, and a dollop of butter to your potato, plus a large spoonful of crème fraîche (and caviar, if you can afford it!).