Batatas a Murro

I've discovered a new, simple and delicious way to bake potatoes that I discovered in Portugal. "Murro" means "punch" or "blow" in Portuguese, and that's exactly what you have to do to the spuds. Here's my version of the recipe:

Take some good baking potatoes that are all more or less the same size. Scrub them well but don't peel them. Roll them in coarse salt, put them on a tray, and pop them into a hot oven. When they start to get soft, take them out of the oven. Wrap them, one by one, in a kitchen towel. Punch each wrapped tater with your fist. This will cause the potato to burst open. You don't want to overdo this. If you give them a Mike Tyson type blow, you'll end up with mashed potatoes. Once all of them have been punched, drizzle some olive oil over them and put them back into the oven. Keep them in there till they get nice and crispy and golden brown.

The idea is to expose as much of the surface area as possible to the direct heat so you get more of that golden crispiness that we all crave. This technique is similar, in a way, to Dean Torges's cast iron skillet method, which I keep meaning to try.

Let me know if any of you try Batatas a Murro. I heartily recommend it.

Jim, do you poke any holes in them for the first part for steam to escape?
Temps and time?

Hi, Bob,

No, I didn't poke any holes in them, although that might be a good idea, nor did I keep my eye on the clock much. It was more a matter of waiting for them to get a little soft first before smashing them. I actally pulled one out (after about twenty minutes?) and tried to punch it, but it was too hard, so I let them go another twenty minutes or so. I had the oven set at about 225 Centigrade.

Regards,

Jim L.