For at least 10 years, every winter I promise myself to make the Bavarian Baked Potatoes in foil and every year summer arrives, and then nothing. This time I decided to go for it; my partner and I dined at a restaurant with typical Bavarian cuisine, and of course, we ordered the Ofenkartoffeln as a side dish. And bam, I got the urge to make this delicious potato side dish at home! And this time I really did it! Finally, I can present to you this German recipe that I adore!
These Bavarian baked potatoes were the main dish that I ordered with my mother when, during the Christmas season, we visited the South Tyrol Christmas Markets. From Bolzano to Merano, stopping in Vipiteno or Bressanone. In the evening, we would sit down and order dishes from the typical Trentino cuisine, and among them, very often, there were the Bavarian potatoes. From there, I found them again in Innsbruck a few years later and during my last trip to Düsseldorf. If you don’t know, I also have a travel blog, where you can find itineraries, where to stay, where to eat (of course), what to see, and activities related to each trip! So I leave you the link to read the articles about the Christmas Markets and the trip to Germany between Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.
The Bavarian cuisine originates from peasant cooking, thus being very economical, with potatoes and bread dominating, followed by meat and various desserts. The cuisine had to be rich in ingredients that provided energy; in this case, carbohydrates are essential.
So forget about the strict carb-free diet if you visit Germany. You must try: the dumplings (Knödel – how many I’ve eaten in my life), the Weißwürste (white sausages), suckling pig meat, soups, veal and beef, sauerkraut and Swiss chard, pretzels, baked pork knuckle, spätzle (they are small irregular-shaped dumplings made with flour, eggs, and water), extremely white asparagus, apple strudels, and various strudels, and much more! Take your time and travel through food and beyond!
Another one of my favorite dishes is the Leberkäse! The ingredients of the Bavarian Leberkäse are: beef, pork belly, water, onion, salt, and marjoram. All finely ground and then placed in the typical loaf pan, which gives it its name and characteristic form of Leberkäse. Typical dish of Bavarian cuisine and not only, it can also be found in Switzerland, Austria, and many other parts of Germany including the South Tyrol. In Germany it is called Wurst, and classified as part of the sausage family.
Returning to today’s recipe for Bavarian baked potatoes, I can tell you that they are incredibly simple to prepare, requiring just a few very budget-friendly ingredients. A dish that needs more cooking time than preparation, exactly one hour in the oven at 392°F. So if you plan to make these Ofenkartoffeln, keep this time in mind.
There aren’t many other typical German recipes in the blog, I’m gradually adding them, but for now, I can give you the link to the recipe for Dumplings with pesto and bacon and the Buckwheat cake with raspberry jam, very delicious and tasty! I hope to add more to let you travel with me through the World Recipes!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: German
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 605.61 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 40.92 (g) of which sugars 5.26 (g)
- Proteins 29.99 (g)
- Fat 36.80 (g) of which saturated 17.71 (g)of which unsaturated 14.23 (g)
- Fibers 4.39 (g)
- Sodium 1,551.96 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 Bavarian Baked Potatoes:
- 4 potatoes (medium-large)
- 1 package sour cream (200 ml)
- 1 slice speck (thickly cut)
- 1.41 oz fontina cheese (if you like it, otherwise it's not necessary)
- 4 sprigs chives
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Tools
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 4 Parchment paper
- 4 Aluminum foil
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Oven
- Paper towels
Steps for Bavarian Baked Potatoes Recipe
Let’s start by preheating the oven to 392°F in static mode. Then wash the potatoes with the skin on under running water and pat them dry very well with kitchen paper or a cloth. Take the 4 parchment paper sheets and place a potato in the center of each, wrapping it like a candy. The aluminum foil should cover only the potato, as seen in the photo above. Place the four foil-wrapped potatoes on a baking tray and bake for at least 60 minutes. Halfway through cooking, you can turn the potatoes. After this time, leave the potatoes in the turned-off oven. This way, they will stay warm.
Why wait for OKTOBERFEST to enjoy this dish?
Authentic tastes and flavors of simple, economical, and delicious German cuisine!
Now let’s prepare the sour cream sauce needed to fill the Bavarian baked potatoes. Take a non-stick saucepan, pour the sour cream into it. On a wooden cutting board, cut the fontina cheese into cubes and the speck into strips, shred it well with a knife without serration. Keep the speck aside; it will be the final garnish along with the chives that you should cut into small pieces, also using a knife without serration.
Add the small fontina cubes to the saucepan with the sour cream and place it on the smallest burner with the flame on low. Stir with a spoon or spatula. These two ingredients should thicken and blend together. Now take a serving plate.
We can now proceed to fill the Bavarian baked potatoes. Take the four foil wraps and open them slightly, removing the aluminum foil entirely. With the help of a knife first and then a spoon, scoop out the four potatoes, creating a cavity where we will pour the sour cream. From the following photos, you will understand better; I practically left the edges intact and created this hole to make room for the cream and cheese sauce.
Then add the speck strips and sprinkle with the chives, salt, and pepper. You can also choose coarse salt, as both the potatoes and cream are very hot, it will melt easily. Serve the foil-baked potatoes as a rich side dish to any meat or fish main course. They will be enjoyed by the whole family or your guests. I just want to remind you that I await you here on my recipe site and wish you bon appétit!
Tip:
I’m not a great wine expert, although I do hope to take a sommelier course one day, but I can give you some advice. Choose a good Gewürztraminer or a Traminer—I can recommend the Cantina Tramin (click here to find out more), which is easily available and easily recognizable among the shelves of the best wine shops. One of my favorites!
Also spend a few more euros to taste a good Riesling, a wine always made from white grape varieties. Germany is the world’s largest producer of Riesling, followed by France (Alsace) and Austria. I have memories of the various Rieslings I had the pleasure of tasting in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf that I will never forget! For me, gastronomic tourism is as valuable as visiting a museum!
Variations of Bavarian Baked Potatoes:
As already mentioned in the ingredient list, you can avoid the fontina cheese if you don’t like it and add any other cheese of your choice to the cream. Otherwise, you can serve these Bavarian potatoes with just the sour cream.
There is also the hot cream or cold sour cream variant from the refrigerator; I have always preferred the first. Practically for the second choice, with cold sour cream, you won’t need to use the saucepan or turn on the stove. You just need to scoop out the potato right after taking it out of the oven and unwrapping it from the foil and add the cream with the chives.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I substitute or eliminate the speck?
Yes, definitely, in many recipes there is no mention of speck or anything else. But honestly, they have always been served to me with this added ingredient. Whether it’s more or less aged speck or even grilled. For me, potatoes and speck remain a perfect combination!
