You know those times when you’re just… over plain baked potatoes? They’re good, they fulfill the requirement, but they can feel a bit plain. Enter the scored potato. They are still a potato, ah, technically, but by slicing them and adding some melted butter, they feel like a little more than a plain baked potato. At least they feel more interesting than the sad, nondescript foil-wrapped item you’ve been microwaving.

And this isn’t one of those recipes that requires 14 ingredients or some strange instruction. You need: 4 large baking potatoes (Russets are the way to go here), 2 tbsp of melted butter (you can do that now, because you’ll need it twice), a little paprika, about a tbsp of fresh parsley (chopped), salt and pepper. That’s it. That’s the list.

First, let’s get the oven going to 350°F (175°C). Nothing high temp here, just a medium heat that will allow the potatoes to cook slowly and evenly.

Now take the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise, yielding 8 long halves that are sort of shaped like little boats. Here is the key part—score them. Meaning take a sharp knife and cut across the rounded top of each half widthwise, making about 6 cuts per half, but don’t cut all the way through. You are not looking to cut them apart—just give them a few little ridges. The slices should remain intact at the bottom, so you can sort of fan them out a little. They should appear vaguely like accordions. Or hedgehogs. Or very small, edible boats that got pretentious.

Now, lay them out cut-side-up in a shallow baking dish. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something oven-safe where they aren’t packed together like sardines; you want a little space in between all of them.

Brush the tops with half of your melted butter—so about 1 tablespoon. You don’t need to drench them, just enough to help them crisp and get a little bit of a brown situation going in the oven. Then sprinkle the paprika (for a little smoky warmth and color), the parsley (because green things make food look nicer), and enough salt and pepper to make them taste like something.

 

Stick the dish in the oven and forget about them for about 50 minutes. Don’t cover them. You want that top layer to crisp and the inside to stay soft. At about the 40-minute mark or so, your kitchen is going to start smelling like something good is going on. That’s when you know the magic is happening.

When the timer dings—or the potatoes are soft and slightly golden and just starting to brown around the ridges—take them out. Hot dish, watch out. Don’t just stand there staring at them (although you will want to). Grab the rest of that melted butter and drizzle it over the tops. That’s the secret move. It soaks into the scored cuts and goes from “okay” to “ohhh okay.”

Texture-wise, they are like the best of both worlds—crispy edges, fluffy centers. It’s like mashed potatoes and roasted potatoes decided to work together. And they soak up flavor better than regular baked ones too, because all those slices work like flavor tunnels. Yes, flavor tunnels. That’s what they’re called now.

You could absolutely serve these at a dinner party and people would think you were some kind of culinary genius. Or just make them for yourself on a weeknight when you are tired and bored and don’t feel like eating anything too complex, but also want to not be sad about your food. They dress up easily too—top with cheese, or sour cream, or even leftover chili if you’re feeling fancy. But honestly, they are good all alone like this.

So yeah. Scored potatoes. Weirdly satisfying to make, extremely satisfying to eat, and way easier than they look. If you have never made them, this is your sign.

And if you feel brave after this—like when you realize “oh wow, crispy potatoes aren’t actually hard”—go look up how to make potato croquettes. Trust me. That’s an entirely new level of golden brown happiness.