You can also opt for the roads less traveled: pesto with freshly grated Parmesan, a smear of miso and a sprinkling of furikake, or serve with a runny sunny-side up egg and a drizzle of hot sauce. Or, add some cheese and pop it back in the microwave for a minute to get melty, then top with crispy bacon. Load it up plain and simple with pat of butter, a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of salt and pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs. Go easy or go crazy with the toppings, your choice! Just because you've made a meal in the microwave doesn't mean it can't be exciting. Want something a little sweeter? Give a sweet potato the same microwave treatment! Start with 3 or 4 minutes, then flip the hot potato with a pair of tongs and continue with an addition 3 minutes of cooking time, adding more time as necessary to get the perfect tender, creamy, baked potato. We like a traditional russet potato for our baked potato, but you can really give any tuber variation this same treatment-depending on the size and density of your potato, cooking times will vary. After the 6 minutes is up, check to see if they’re tender. Then, on a microwave-safe plate, microwave the sweet potatoes at high power for 6 minutes, turning halfway through.
With a fork, stab your potato all over: this helps the steam escape during the heating process to prevent a potato explosion inside your microwave, and helps the potato take on a fluffier texture when cooked. It's an important step so don't skip it! If you want the skin to turn a little crispy, be sure your potato is totally dried off from the wash, then massage it with a little bit of oil right before it hits the microwave. Wrap each sweet potato in a damp paper towel. Give it a thorough scrub to get all the nitty gritty off, rinse well, and dry well.
Repeat this step with all ears, as this will help retain plenty of moisture while cooking.
You'll need to clean your potato first, especially if you like to eat your baked potato with the skin on. Wrap the ear in the damp paper towel (to mimic the husk) before placing it in the microwave. You could spend 15 minutes preheating your oven and then another hour baking your potato, but why would you ever do that when you can microwave your potato in just 7 minutes? Especially in the summer when the days are already hot enough on their own, a compact microwave is the perfect alternative to baking without the intense blast of 350° heat.