Jacket potatoes rank among the most comforting kitchen staples, delivering a golden, crisp exterior and fluffy interior when baked right. A well-prepared one proves simple yet impressive, especially with creative toppings.
Chef Ian Theasby’s Preferred Technique
Chef Ian Theasby from Bosh outlines his top approach for achieving superior results. He emphasizes preparing the potato skin properly.
“It’s all about oiling the skin. Take your jacket potato, stab it a few times with a fork, and rub in some olive oil to embed it into the skin. Then rub in a little salt to season it from the start. Place it in the oven at 200°C for about an hour until crispy outside and fluffy inside. That delivers maximum quality.”
For time-pressed cooks, he suggests a shortcut: microwave the potato for about 10 minutes, then finish in the oven for the crisp skin.
Theasby acknowledges air fryers’ appeal but prefers traditional ovens. “I like cooking with air fryers, but I’m a real fan of the oven,” he states.
Bosh’s Milestone and New Cookbook
Ian Theasby and Henry Firth mark 10 years of their plant-based food venture with their eighth book, More Plants, hailed as their finest. It features 90 recipes ready in 30 minutes, emphasizing fiber, vegetables, beans, grains, and bold flavors to promote wellness without restrictions.
Recipe: Pickle Bean-Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
The duo includes this flavorful filling in the cookbook.
Ingredients
- Four baking potatoes (250g each)
- Olive oil
- Two tablespoons plant-based butter
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Pickle Bean Topping
- 200g gherkins
- ¼ red onion
- ½ small cucumber
- 25g dill
- 1 lemon
- 400g can cannellini beans
- 400g can butter beans
- 450g firm tofu
- 30g Bosh nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Whole cornichons, to garnish
Method
- Preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fan/Gas 9).
- Pierce potatoes several times and microwave at 900W for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.
- Coat with olive oil and salt, then bake for about 10 minutes until skins crisp and centers fluff.
- Finely chop gherkins, red onion, and cucumber. Strip dill, juice lemon, drain and rinse beans.
- Blend tofu, beans, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, vinegar, and water to a smooth, thick paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in most chopped vegetables and dill.
- Halve potatoes, loosen flesh, add plant-based butter, spoon on filling, and top with remaining vegetables and dill.
