1 Prepare the bacon: Line a baking sheet with foil, then top with a wire baking rack (cookie cooling rack). Lay the bacon strips on the wire rack perpendicular to the wires, making sure the bacon pieces don’t overlap.
2 Bake the bacon and scrub the potatoes: Place the bacon in a cold oven and set the temperature to 375°F. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check the bacon around the 18-minute mark. Some types of bacon cook faster than others. (See How to Make Bacon in the Oven for full details.)
While the bacon bakes, scrub potatoes well and then stab each potato about 10 times with a fork to prevent the possibility of a potato exploding in the oven. (It can happen!)
Remove the bacon from the oven; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3 Bake the potatoes: Increase the heat to 400˚F. Place potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle well with olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake potatoes for about an hour until the skins are shriveled slightly and the potatoes are very tender. (See How to Bake a Potato for more details.)
