Another Potluck ?--Baked Potato Bar

Crockpot. Wrapped in foil.

I don't think 12 big potatoes will fit in a crockpot. And to be honest, I wouldn't do giant potatoes for a lunch, even though I agree that they are really fluffy!

I'd put them in a cooler. Do you have a small beverage sized cooler? If not, someone at work will. While the potatoes are baking, fill it with hot, hot water. Dump the water out and line the cooler with a towel. Put the potatoes straight from the oven into the cooler. Lay the towel over the top or add another, depending on the space that is left, but you don't need to fill the entire cooler.

They will stay hot this way for hours. We feed the theatre kids during tech week and this is one of our rotations, along with broccoli cheese soup, chili, and other soups. I bring the left over potatoes home (to make twice baked potatoes) and the potatoes are still hot to handle with my bare hands at 10 pm. We feed the kids between 5 & 6pm!

Bring a knife to cut them open. If you are providing the toppings, we keep it simple with butter, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. If you want to get fancy, you can add chives, green onions, and bacon. This is one of the favorite meals for the kids.

We do a baked potato bar for 4-H events and even for my dd's 16th birthday party. I agree with wrapping in foil and putting in a crockpot or two. We actually bought a roaster because it holds more, we do them enough and we can use it for other things. I also agree on not getting too big of potatos. We bought Costco potatoes for my dd's birthday and they were so big the kids were too full for ice cream sundaes 

I like to get a box of foil squares at the dollar store. They are great for baked potatoes. One dollar for I think 30 precut squares. Very quick and easy. 

We also like to offer a few sweet potatoes and they are always popular.

I should have added:

Most of us have seen foil wrapped potatoes on buffet /potluck lines for years. I don't know anyone who claims they got sick from the potato!

But since it was my turn to be "hostess" I decided to err on the side of caution. If I had been managing potato bars for years with foil I wouldn't have known any different and continued.

Keeping baked potatoes hot is easy. All you have to do is line a cardboard box with newspaper, throw in your foil-wrapped potatoes that you have baked, throw some more newspapers on top and seal your box. They'll keep warm for 3 or 4 hours. I found this out accidentally as I was in charge of some lunches at church. One lady couldn't bring them at lunch time so brought them baked early that morning to my house in a cardboard box. I took them to church and was ready to put them in the oven to warm about 4 hours later. To my surprise, these potatoes were hot to the touch. We just served them and they were fine. Since then, I make potato bars often for my family and always bake my potatoes early and throw them in a box for several hours. They have worked like a charm.

Oh and I alway bake my potatoes at 400 degrees

Bacteria could be a problem if the potatoes cool down. But I literally have to use a pot holder to unload the leftover potatoes to put in the fridge. I do wrap them in foil and they don't get soggy unless they start to cool. But I often make baked potatoes without foil-I like the skins that way. 

Great tip for the precut foil!  I never thought to look at the dollar store. And good thing to know about a box keeping them warm. I have a medium sized cooler that I use when we travel to Minnesota, as I bring back Top of the Tator and real tomatoes and whatever I can con from my parents garden. 

If you serve them with bacon crumbles, make the bacon in the oven. Cover a baking sheet with foil and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon. So much easier than frying. I do multiple packs of bacon this way, removing the foil and using new for each batch. Then I freeze the bacon and have them it for when I just need a slice or two for what I'm making. 

The potatoes essentially steam in the cooler/box, which makes them super fluffy. Now I want a baked potato!

I went to TwoPeas for potato bar advice too for my first one!
Love how we can get feedback on anything from travel tips to college here.