Filling, comforting and so easy, it’s hard to beat the good old jacket spud. It’s also a blank canvas on to which you can project all manner of other tasty ingredients. I wouldn’t say no to a supper of jacket potato, cheese and baked beans, but as you will know how to knock that one up yourself, here are some less familiar toppers, starting with a lovely chestnutty number.
Serves 4
4 baking potatoes, 250–300g each
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-large red onions, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g cooked, peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped or crumbled
4 generous knobs of butter, plus extra to serve
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas 6. Scrub the potatoes and prick the skin of each one a few times with a fork (this stops the occasional spud explosion, which can make a real mess of your oven). Bake the potatoes, either on a baking tray or directly on the shelf of the oven, for about 1 hour, or until they feel completely tender when pierced with a small, sharp knife.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and fry gently for 10–15 minutes until soft and lightly coloured. Add the garlic and chestnuts and cook, stirring, for a few more minutes. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm, or reheat gently before serving.
When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to warm bowls. Cut a deep cross in the top of each one. Covering your hands with a tea towel to protect them from the heat, firmly pinch each side of the potato to open up the cross and expose the fluffy, steaming flesh inside. Add a generous knob of butter to each potato, then pile the oniony, chestnut mixture on top. Grind over some salt and pepper, then serve, with more butter on the table.
PLUS ONE To finish, a crumbling of blue cheese, such as Dorset Blue Vinney, enriches the onions and chestnuts beautifully.
SWAPS Another great topper is the celeriac and cabbage slaw here. You can use a plain mayonnaise if you like, or just olive oil and a few drops of cider vinegar. A handful of raisins, pre-soaked in warm apple juice to plump up, is a great ‘plus-one’. Another favourite topper of mine is apple and Cheddar. Use one cored and finely diced medium dessert apple tossed with about 50g diced Cheddar per potato. A little diced celery (use a tender inner stem) is a nice addition to this combination.