Baked Potatoes

Use one potato for each person. A portion is the size of a person’s fist.

Baked, or jacket potatoes will take approximately an hour to cook in the oven. This may be speeded up by popping them in the microwave for a few minutes to speed the process up. Alternatively you may pop them in the microwave until they are cooked, but they do not have quite the same “jacket” texture.

Try these fillings:

Tuna Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
1 portion tinned tuna
1 dessertspoon of mayonnaise
Sweet corn
A few turns of pepper

Method:
Combine. Don’t be tempted to add any more mayonnaise it makes the tuna oily and sloppy. It should just take the amount and still stand up without flowing like a liquid.

Spicy Beans (vegan)
Ingredients:
1 portion tinned mixed beans
1 teaspoon spicy curry powder – korma is a good mild one

Method:
Mix drained beans with spice. Warm in a pan until piping hot. Pile into potato.

Twice Baked (or soufflé potatoes) (vegetarian)
Ingredients:
Butter
50g of cheese per potato

Method:
These can be used with any filling but is particularly good with cheese.
Once cooked, allow to stand until cool enough to handle, then cut potatoes in half. Scoop out the soft flesh, trying to retain the skin in one piece.
Place into a bowl and mash or for a very fine finish use a potato ricer. Add 50g cheese per medium sized potato and mix thoroughly. You may add natural yogurt as well for a sharper taste. Pile back into skins and return to oven until hot and browning nicely. The potato will be piled higher than the top level of the skin which looks quite pretty. Eat with a fresh green salad. These are also good with new potatoes and served as snacks or canapés.