Not long ago I read an article on the “best” way to bake a potato. It compared traditional roasting, steaming, microwave and the Instant Pot. Surprisingly the IP get the best marks for light and fluffy potatoes with ease. So here you are my friends, my tale of Instant Pot Baked Potatoes with Creamed Spinach.
One of my supreme joys of living a WFPB lifestyle is the unashamed delight in eating potatoes as often as I like! When I was working on my thesis in Grad School it was my fall back meal so I could get back to research. A spud in the microwave was only several minutes away from my fork and bowl- and I always thought they tasted just fiiiiiine. Little did I know then what I know now. Quick and gummy is ok for a college student, but just a little longer for fluffy and gorgeous is worth it!
It’s true that taking the hour or so to heat up an oven and roast a potato makes a lovelier potato. Who doesn’t love a crusty skin? But ugh! The time and the PLAAAANNNNNING! As a general rule I am not a huge fan of kitchen gadgets, but I very easily have fallen in love with my IP. I delight in finding new and great ways to use it. It helps to assuage the guilt of having a bulky contraption in my pantry. In addition pressure cooking is healthier, but more on that in a sec.
How Long Does It Take?
Cooking times can vary depending on the size of your potato. Here is a guide to help you along.
Small Potatoes- 6-8oz…………..12 minutes
Medium Potatoes- 8-10oz………15 minutes
Large Potatoes- 10-12oz…………18 minutes.
Is Cooking with an Instant Pot Healthier?
Potatoes are remarkably full of nutrition, and a pressure cooker helps to retain even more of the nutrients. Roasting requires cooking at a higher temperature and a greater loss of vitamins as a result. A pressure cooker require a third less heat and preserves up to 95% of the nutrients. Yes, I know you have been taught that white starchy things are the offspring of Lucifer, but allow me to “mash” that belief.
A medium sized potato has 2 grams of protein, only 20 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. It’s high in Potassium, Vitamin C, Folate and B6- making it super healthy, especially for the heart. More importantly it is a good base for a plant based meal with other greens and veggies. Potatoes are also very satisfying and one of the best foods to stave off hunger.
The real evils when it comes to potatoes are the butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon that people traditionally smother all over it. So don’t do that! For something creamy and delicious- and a good meal in itself- top your potatoes with my creamed spinach recipe. You can find it HERE.
Scrub the potatoes and pierce each one a few times with a fork or knife. Add the water to the IP and the trivet. Arrange the potatoes on the trivet. Set the pressure cooker for 12 minutes. When done allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes. If not fully released at this point you can manually do the remaining. Test the potatoes by piercing with a knife. If they are still a little resistant you can replace the lid and pressure cook for another 1-2 minutes. Manually release after that. You can find the recipe for the Creamed Spinach HERE. After cooking a few potatoes I started to get the hang of the timing. I could just tell by looking at the potato how long it will take. Sooooo worth it! Enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes