I tried 3 chefs' loaded baked potato recipes. They were all good, but my favorite tasted like a pasta dinner.

Meredith SchneiderAug 17, 2024, 20:04 IST

You can add so many different flavor combinations to a baked potato.Meredith Schneider<ul class="summary-list"><li>I made <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/review-trying-popular-recipes-for-baked-potatoes-2021-8">loaded baked potatoes</a> using recipes from Giada de Laurentiis, Ree Drummond, and Jeff Mauro.</li><li>Drummond's dish had a nice spicy sauce, and Mauro's mirrored a <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-sandwich-shop-in-every-state-according-to-yelp-2024-8">classic Reuben</a>.</li></ul>Whether you like them fried, mashed, diced, or hashed, there's a potato for just about everyone's tastes. But no dish is quite as versatile and delicious as a baked potato.Since potatoes have remained an affordable grocery staple while inflation plays with everything else, I wanted to see if I could jazz them up to turn a spud into a full meal. I tried loaded-baked potato recipes from celebrity chefs <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/giada-de-laurentiis-pasta-review-2023-10">Giada de Laurentiis</a>, Jeff Mauro, and Ree Drummond to see which I liked best.Here's how the flavorful spuds stacked up.

Every recipe started with a simple baked potato.

I cooked all my potatoes at the same time. Meredith Schneider

De Laurentiis’ baked potatoes called for sausage and sauce.

Giada de Laurentiis is known for her Italian-inspired recipes. Meredith Schneider

I started by softening the onion.

I needed the onions to get soft before adding the meat. Meredith Schneider

The sausage went in the pan next.

I used ground turkey sausage and made sure to break it up in the pan.Meredith Schneider

I added the greens and marinara toward the end.

I prefer spinach to arugula, so I went that route for this potato. Meredith Schneider

De Laurentiis' recipe was like hearty Sunday pasta on a potato.

I would make this sauce again for potatoes or pasta. Meredith Schneider

Drummond makes a barbecue-chicken spud.

Barbecue chicken is a classic flavor. Meredith Schneider

I started by prepping the shredded chicken thighs.

I had some leftover chicken I was able to shred for this recipe. Meredith Schneider

The chipotle pepper kicks the flavor up a notch.

I liked the addition of the chipotle peppers. Meredith Schneider

The sauce smelled wonderful as it simmered.

I let the cooked chicken and finished sauce marinate for a minute. Meredith Schneider

Drummond builds her baked potato like a chicken sandwich.

The fresh garnishes had a great crunch. Meredith Schneider

Mauro’s Reuben-inspired baked potato was involved.

I had to gather a lot of ingredients to make the Reuben-inspired spud. Meredith Schneider

This was the only recipe that called for scraping out the potatoes.

I made little potato boats so the toppings could all fit on the spuds. Meredith Schneider

I needed to use my broiler here.

I stacked the pastrami and cheese on the potatoes before broiling. Meredith Schneider

I added the sauce after the potatoes came out of the oven.

I mixed the creamy sauce while the potatoes were cooking. Meredith Schneider

The sauce made these loaded potatoes extra decadent.

The baked potatoes really did taste like a Reuben. Meredith Schneider

One potato took the cake.

I can't wait to make the Italian-inspired baked potato again. Meredith Schneider

I've eaten at over 1,000 restaurants in Miami. You have to try these 10.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website