Twice-Baked Jacket Potato

Chef

Cookbook

300 Best Potato Recipes

Published by Robert Rose

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This image courtesy of Colin Ericcson

In the U.K., jacket potatoes - a.k.a baked potatoes - are a huge lunchtime favorite. They are sold in pubs, at outdoor market stalls and by vendors who specialize in “naught else,” as my favorite characters on Coronation Street like to say. Many ingredients work well as the filling, such as shrimp and cilantro, mushrooms and Gruyère, baked beans and bacon. Here is one version to get your motor running. Serve it with just a bit of butter and, some would say, sour cream. The number of servings depends on whether the diners consume a whole potato or a half (they are quite substantial).

Makes4 to 8 servings

Cooking MethodBaking, Broiling, Roasting

CostModerate

Easy

Total Timeunder 4 hours

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

OccasionBuffet, Casual Dinner Party, Family Get-together, Game Day

Recipe CourseMain Course, Side Dish

Dietary ConsiderationEgg-free, Gluten-free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free

MealDinner, Lunch

Taste and TextureButtery, Cheesy, Creamy, Rich, Savory

Ingredients

Small baking dish
Rimmed baking sheet
4 large floury or all-purpose potatoes (each 8 to 10 oz/250 to 300 g), scrubbed and thoroughly dried (see Notes)
¼ cup olive oil, divided 60 mL
Salt
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
6 slices back (Canadian) bacon, cooked and chopped
½ cup shredded sharp (aged) Cheddar cheese 125 mL
½ cup diced Taleggio cheese (see Notes) 125 mL
1/3 cup butter, softened 75 mL
¼ cup sour cream 60 mL
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives 60 mL
2 tsp chili powder 10 mL
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
Using a fork, prick each potato a few times, then rub with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil and a little salt. Place potatoes directly on oven rack.
In a small baking dish. combine onion, garlic and remaining oil and toss to coat. Place in the oven along with the potatoes and roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until onion is slightly charred. Remove onion and garlic from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Continue to bake potatoes for a total of 1½ to 2 hours or until cooked through and skin is super-crisp. Transfer to a cutting board and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Finely chop roasted onions and garlic and transfer to a bowl. Stir in bacon, Cheddar, Taleggio, butter, sour cream, chives and chili powder until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Preheat broiler to high. Slit each potato open lengthwise (don’t cut through the bottom skin). Using a fork, rough up the flesh a bit. Transfer potato, cut side up, to baking sheet and top with a quarter of the onion mixture. Repeat until all potatoes have been topped. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until potatoes are heated through and cheese is slightly melted. Serve immediately.

Tips

Pat scrubbed potatoes dry with a clean tea towel or paper towels; if they still seem damp, let air-dry for about 10 minutes.
Taleggio is an absolutely delicious semi-soft northern Italian cheese of some pungency but with a relatively mild, nut-sweet flavor. If you can’t obtain it easily, substitute fontina, which also melts beautifully.
If you like, you can spoon out some of the baked potato flesh and blend it with the topping mixture, which will give you more of a cavity to hold the filling.