These may be fighting words, but my least favorite potato is a baked potato. I really don’t like them at all. So I was surprised when I came across the giant roasted potato that has been fascinating the internet. It puts a different spin on the baked potato and it even looks tempting. To me. And now that I’ve made it, I understand why: it’s like eating a giant French fry.

The method involves boiling a peeled potato until it’s tender, smashing the outside so it looks dusty and mangled, and tossing it with a little oil and salt before cooking it at high heat. In my case, that meant air frying it. The outside of the potato crisps up in the oven, creating a thick, crispy, brown skin. The inside is steamy and soft like a standard baked potato, but instead of a tough potato skin on the outside, you’re left with a crusty, salty baked potato shell.

This technique was used in the past for roasted potatoes, but the potato is usually cut into chunks instead of being left whole. I think that is what makes this "giant".

Mutilating the outside of the potato is the most crucial step. Instead of a smooth surface with a thin layer of exposed starch, you’ve increased the surface area and exposed more of the starchy potato while creating some air pockets. Starch is the key to a crispy crust – part of the reason potato starch is so good for baking karaage chicken is because of its high starch content. With that in mind, I recommend using russet potatoes for this recipe, as they’re prized for their starchiness.