Jacket potatoes are a beloved and hearty staple, enjoyed at lunch or dinner alike. Whether you pile them high with cheese and beans or tuna mayo, or keep things simple with butter and salt, they work brilliantly as a standalone meal or a tasty side dish.
Although they're straightforward to prepare and cook, achieving that ideal contrast between a light, fluffy interior and a perfectly crisp skin can prove rather difficult.
The real challenge with jacket potatoes lies in getting the skin to crisp up properly without leaving the inside dry and disappointing. In a traditional oven, this process can take several hours, and even then, the skin can turn out chewy rather than satisfyingly crunchy.
Using a microwave speeds things up considerably, but frequently results in soft, soggy skin.
Baked potatoes are an absolute staple in my home. I've experimented with countless recipes over the years to nail the perfect result, yet I always return to the same trusty method.
I manage to achieve that perfect crunch without any oil, simply by salting the skin immediately after it comes out of the microwave, before finishing it off in the air fryer.
I place one potato in the microwave for roughly eight minutes, depending on its size, just until it begins to soften slightly. I then rub a little fine sea salt into the skin and transfer it to the air fryer for approximately eight minutes to crisp up nicely.
The salt works by drawing out surface moisture, encouraging the skin to dry out and crisp up far more quickly. Sea salt is preferable to other varieties because its crystals are considerably coarser, so they won't dissolve as quickly into the potato. In my experience, the finest variety of potato to pick up at the supermarket for a jacket spud is simply a baking potato.
These typically come in packs of four for around 89p, and they're absolutely the ideal choice. As the potato cooks in the air fryer, it develops a wonderfully satisfying crunch without any butter or oil.
Once it's cooked through, I score an X on the top and gently squeeze the sides. This helps loosen the inside, resulting in a light, fluffy texture rather than a dense one. I then lightly mash the interior with a fork, stir in some butter alongside my chosen filling, and savour that delicious crunch.
