How to cook the perfect baked potato

First choose an appropriate patch of bush...preferably one that is overdue for a fuel reduction bonfire [ dawg added for scale purposes only! ]


It is of vital importance that your day be fine, clear and lacking in breeze or the threat of precipitation ... and out of the fire restriction period [ so up here that basically means between early May and October ]
It doesn't absolutely have to have a cornflower blue and cloudless sky but if you can manage that so much the better

Dress appropriately - no flowing skirts or trailing sleeves

Next gather together:
a comfy folding chair
rake
gardening gloves [ mine are leather ]
good book
cup of your favoured hot beverage
canine helper optional but desirable

rake vigourously until you have amassed a modest pile [ again dawg added purely for purposes of scale and not at all because he's cute ]


and now a very important note:
blokes build great big bonfires that scare the bejesus out of everyone in the immediate vicinity.
I, being of the female persuasion, build small controllable mounds - no more than a metre high and generally about half that size - and then feed them from other heaps. The resulting fire will be about four times the height of the pile

... so now let me see ... if the nice fella down the road makes one huge pile about 3 or 4 metres high - times four ...

make sure that the surrounding area is swept completely clear for several metres. Basically imagine the potential height of the fire, add a bit extra for safety and imagine that flame suddenly moving horizontally if the wind changes. I'm sure you get the drift.
However much of an area you thought would suffice ... make it a bit bigger. Don't forget to look UP.

wrap your chosen spuds individually in foil
bury at the base of your soon-to-be pyre and set it alight.

Even though there was not a hint of breeze prior to ignition, it will immediately become apparent that you have placed the comfy chair in the direction of prevaling air movement

move comfy chair
find something to serve as foot rest/cup holder/ book tablenow sit back
read
enjoy the day
move comfy chair again
get up and poke / top up the fire about every 8-10 pages

after an hour or so, having allowed the fire to die down

unearth your foil package[s], slather with butter, black pepper and cheese of choice [ mine was goat cheese - fresh, home made by PND and Brenda, and very creamy ]

et voila

ze perfect spud