Jacket potatoes are a beloved British comfort food, and achieving the perfect balance of crispy skin and fluffy interior is simpler than you might think. Chef Ian Theasby, one half of the plant-based duo BOSH, shares his foolproof method that relies on the oven rather than the air fryer.
The Chef's Method for Perfect Jacket Potatoes
According to Ian Theasby, the secret lies in preparing the potato skin properly. Start by stabbing the potato several times with a fork, then rub olive oil into the skin to embed it. Follow by rubbing in a little salt to season from the start. Place the potato in the oven at 200°C for about an hour, or until the skin is crispy and the inside is fluffy. If short on time, microwave the potato for 10 minutes before finishing in the oven to achieve that crispy skin.
Ian explains, "It's all about oiling the skin. You get your jacket potato, stab it, rub in olive oil and salt, then let the oven do the work. That's when you get maximum jacket potato quality."
While air fryers are popular, Ian remains a fan of the oven: "I do like cooking with air fryers, but I'm a real fan of the oven. I'm sure I'd be converted, but I'm a stickler for the oven."
BOSH's New Cookbook: More Plants
Ian Theasby and Henry Firth are celebrating a decade since launching BOSH with their eighth cookbook, More Plants. The book features 90 plant-packed recipes, each ready in under 30 minutes, focusing on fibre, vegetables, beans, grains, and flavour. Among the recipes is a pickle bean-stuffed jacket potato.
Recipe: Pickle Bean-Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
Ingredients:
- Four baking potatoes (250 g each)
- Olive oil
- Two tablespoons of plant-based butter
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- For the topping: 200 g gherkins, quarter of a red onion, half a small cucumber, 25 g dill, one lemon, 400 g can of cannellini beans, 400 g can of butter beans, 450 g of firm tofu, 30 g of BOSH nooch nutritional yeast, one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, one tablespoon of white wine vinegar, whole cornichons to garnish
Method:
- Preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fan / Gas 9). Pierce potatoes several times, microwave for 20 minutes at 900W, turning every five minutes. Coat with olive oil and salt, then bake for about 10 minutes until crispy and fluffy.
- Finely dice gherkins, red onion, and cucumber. Strip dill, squeeze lemon, drain and rinse beans.
- For filling, blitz tofu, beans, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, vinegar, and water until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in most chopped vegetables and dill.
- To serve, slice potatoes in half, fluff flesh, add plant-based butter, dollop filling, and garnish with remaining vegetables and dill.
