I tried Ina Garten's recipe for baked potatoes, and I'll never use another method again

I've loved baked potatoes since I was a kid, and I've always made them the same way: Wrapped in foil and popped in a hot oven for about an hour.

But many skilled chefs, including Garten, skip the foil in order to achieve crispy exteriors.

Since I love eating the skin of baked potatoes, I was ready to give Garten's method a try.

The first thing I noticed about this recipe is that it calls for a flavorful herb mix that coats the potatoes before baking.

The celebrity chef combines fresh rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest with sea salt to create a tasty coating for the skins.

I started by washing my potato and poking holes before setting it aside.

Then I combined the sea salt, rosemary, and lemon zest in a small food processor and transferred it to a plate. I dislike the taste of thyme, so I omitted it. 

I completely coated the baked potato in olive oil and rolled it in the salt mixture.

Instead of wrapping the potato in foil, Garten just covers a baking sheet with it. I followed suit, placing my seasoned potato on a foil-covered tray.

Once the oven was preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I baked the potato for one hour.

The unique herb mixture on the potato doesn't exactly complement toppings like shredded cheddar or bacon.

Instead, Garten calls for a homemade whipped-feta topping and fresh chives.

To make the topping, I combined crumbled feta cheese, cream cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a food processor.

It smelled incredible, and I couldn't wait to taste it on the potato.

After an hour in the oven, the potato was ready.

The skin looked crispy and fancy thanks to the sea salt. I cut it open and stuffed the interior with plenty of whipped feta and a generous sprinkle of chives.

The potato was even more delicious than it looked. The skin was super crispy and flaky and had so much flavor from the salt and herbs. The crunchy exterior also went well with the soft, creamy interior. 

The cold whipped topping contrasted with the hot potato, and the chives added a fresh, bright flavor, balancing the otherwise heavy dish.

Baked potatoes are hard to mess up, but I've never had one that checked every box like Garten's did.

It tasted amazing, with various textures to keep each bite exciting, and it looked good enough to snap a few pictures for Instagram. It was a nice twist from the standard cheddar, butter, and sour cream varieties I know and love. 

Garten's method for making baked potatoes is now my go-to, especially for nice dinners with family or friends.