How to cook the ultimate jacket potato

A crispy jacket potato
Crispy jacket potatoes loaded with any number of toppings are an increasingly popular desk lunch - Andrew Crowley

Ask anyone to name their favourite comfort food and you can bet that a fluffy baked potato will be right up there. Crispy jackets loaded with any number of toppings are back in favour, and not just as a hassle-free midweek supper but as an increasingly popular desk lunch too, and it’s easy to see why. Affordable, simple to prepare, healthy and built for customising, a baked spud ticks all the right boxes, particularly right now, when warming comfort food is top of the list. Here’s how to get the best results.

Three steps to brilliant baked potatoes

1. Choose the right potato

Salted potato
Large Maris Pipers or King Edwards are good options for jacket potatoes - Andrew Crowley

For the fluffiest centre, you need to begin with the right potato. I usually plump for large (200g-250g) Maris Pipers or King Edwards, which are easy to find and offer a wonderful, soft interior and crispy skin when baked well. I’m also keen to try the new Nemo potato, which is said to cook more quickly than traditional types and is stocked exclusively by Tesco. It’s also worth keeping your eyes peeled for a British variety called Orchestra, which has a lovely creamy flesh and is the current baking potato offered by M&S.

If, however, your options are limited or you’re not sure what varieties you’re picking from, any white all-rounder is generally a safer bet than a red-skinned spud, which has a higher chance of having a firm, waxy flesh rather than the floury, airy texture that defines a great jacket.

2. Prepare the skin

Potato being pricked with a fork
Pricking the potato before baking ensures that there’s an escape route for built-up steam - Andrew Crowley

Having once had to clean up after a poorly-prepared potato exploded during baking and glued starchy globules of mash to every surface and crevice of my oven, I’m now always careful to prick the skins well. Using a fork, pierce the tuber in several places, rolling it to ensure that there’s an escape route for built-up steam on every side.

While some cooks recommend oiling the skin, I’m not a fan as I find that it results in a slightly chewy shell rather than the crunchy crust that I’m after. For the crispiest skin, wash the potatoes, prick evenly and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt while still damp.

3. Bake directly on the shelf

Four jacket potatoes in the oven
Placing your potatoes directly on the wire rack allows the air to circulate - Andrew Crowley

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Place the pricked and salted potatoes directly on the oven rack so that the air can circulate. Cook for at least an hour, turning two to three times until the skin is crunchy all over and the potato gives when lightly squeezed. Using a sharp knife, split the potato down the centre, or opt for a currently more-fashionable cross in the top; season with salt and fork-in a knob of butter, then fill as you fancy.

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