Pesto Jacket Potato

Introduction
Except for beans-on-toast, the humble jacket potato must be the nation’s favourite comfort food.

On paper, throwing a potato in the oven is about as simple as cooking can get, but in order to perfect that balance of crispy exterior and fluffy insides, you need to follow a few simple steps.

We’ll never give up eating our jacket potatoes with baked beans, tuna mayo, or coleslaw, but this recipe, which opts for a cheesy-pesto filling, is now forever part of our baked-spud repertoire.

Pro tip
Once cooked, don’t let your spud sit around. Act quickly and slice it open straight out of the oven. Leave it too long, and that crispy skin will go soggy as the potato steams itself from the inside.

Ingredients for one

* This should be a floury variety such as Maris Piper, King Edward, or Russet.

Method
Finely dice the red onion and grate the cheese. Refrigerate until needed.

Scrub your potato under running tap water and dry it to within an inch of its life. Wet skins don’t get crispy!

Give the potato a few pricks with a fork, rub olive oil all over, and give it a generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes.

Place on a baking tray in a pre-heated 190°C oven until it is soft in the middle when you put a skewer through it and the skin is super crispy. That should take around 45 minutes depending on the size of your potato.

Slice the potato in half lengthways and add the butter, followed by the cheese and pesto.

Garnish with red onion, and chives.

Serving suggestions
Braised Brussel sprouts with smoked bacon
Tortilla chips with a Tzatziki dip
Oven-baked courgette crisps
Tomato and olive salad
Tangy cabbage slaw