Ditch The Sour Cream And Top Your Baked Potato Pickled-Style

Baked potatoes can be a lot of fun once you branch beyond the usual sour cream and chopped chives additions. The moment you start experimenting with other unexpected baked potato toppings, you will discover all the different facets that this seemingly ordinary side dish has been hiding all along. It can be bold. It can be exciting. It can have an acidic edge that feels utterly thrilling on the taste buds, which is only achieved when you bring pickled red onions into the picture.

A baked potato is probably the last place you'd expect to find anything pickled, much less red onions, but somehow, this pairing just works. Unlike yellow or white onions, red onions have a peppery intensity that only gets better when brined. Vinegar, salt, sugar, and a little bit of time give the veggie a sharp, tangy depth that sits like a bright spot over the baked potato's starchy richness. The flavor dynamic shifts from vibrant and acidic to mild and creamy in seconds, with seemingly opposite forces that turn out to be incredibly complementary. It lifts the dish up from the usual heaviness, one crunchy bite at a time.

Pickled red onions have a lot of creative uses, so as they arrive in baked potatoes, there are about a million different creative directions you can take. Find inspiration with dishes that typically feature pickled red onions, like guacamole, for example. Yet another unusual baked potato topping, the mashed avocado base brings chunks of nutty goodness to the dish, made all the more delightful by the onions' pop of tanginess. A taco baked potato, loaded with pickled red onions, ground beef, salsa, and Mexican cheese, is another scrumptious idea. At a cookout, a BBQ chicken red onion baked potato (or even sweet potato) is just the crowd-pleaser you need for a satisfying meal. For another protein source, fish butter is the secret to elevated, rich baked potatoes, and pickled onions can add a tangy pop of flavor.

Not stopping there, you can also experiment with different forms of onions and pickles. Pairing pickled onions with caramelized onions will give your baked potatoes a restaurant-worthy flair with its buttery, savory-sweet aroma. Add Gruyere cheese to the dish, let the oven work its broiler magic, and you will even have a French onion rendition to dazzle dinner nights. For those who want a shattering crunch to contrast the fluffy potato, there's still a way as long as you always have crispy fried onions in your pantry. And hey, don't forget you can also get other pickled veggies to join in on the fun. Try sweet pickles to avoid overloading your dish with too much acidity, or a few slices of pickled pepperoncini for a gentle heat to ignite your taste buds.