Jacket potatoes are also popular side dishes for meats. At the Yeats Tavern, a short distance away from W. B. Yeats’s burial place at Drumcliff Bridge, County Sligo, Angela Davis bakes the potatoes first, then scoops out the middle, adds ingredients like bacon and cheese, and refills them. The potatoes can be made ahead and reheated at serving time.
SERVES 8
4 baking potatoes
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons fresh minced chives
2 cups crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 ounces (1 cup) Cheddar cheese, grated
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
2 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool, crumble into bits.
3 Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl. Stir in the bacon, chives, crème frâiche, salt, pepper, parsley, and cheese. Refill each potato half with the mixture. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through.
4 Preheat the broiler. Move the baking sheet to 4 inches from the heat source, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the tops of the potatoes are lightly browned. Serve immediately.
