Baked potatoes

[Disgustin]

Ok, I have to ask—what’s with the English calling a baked potato a “jacket potato”? It’s baked, not wearing an actual jacket. We don’t call a roasted chicken a “crispy skin bird,” so why do they need a separate name for a perfectly baked tattie?

And another thing… why are you having it as a side dish with your actual dinner? I’ve seen English pals having a jacket potato alongside a steak or (God forbid) lasagne. LASAGNE! It’s not a portion of chips we’re talking about here—it’s a whole potato.

In Scotland, it’s simple—you bake a tattie, throw on some butter and a mountain of cheese, or go all out with beans or tuna mayo. Done. It’s lunch. It’s hearty, it’s filling, it doesn’t need to “go” with anything else because it is the main event.

Is this an English thing I’ve missed? Or just me? What are your thoughts?

PS: Let’s not even get started on folk who microwave them… criminal.

Wow this whole time I actually thought the potatoes were wearing actual jackets. Thanks for enlightening me - you learn something new every day.

Yep. We have chicken crackling at home. After the chicken’s finished cooking, take the skin off and put it under the grill while you carve!

Oh I wouldn't start with this.

I'm from the north east so I, like you, call a turnip a turnip, but I know that below a certain latitude it's called a swede. It's just the way it is. They don't like neeps and tatties.

Gribenes. The Jewish equivalent of pork scratchings. I’ve also seen them served in a gastro pub, the kind that likes to advertise the prices as just a round number with a £ sign and serve drinks in jam jars 🙄, as cock scratchings 🤮

@Disgustin

I'm with you, it's a Baked Tattie!

In my case, I don't like beans, cheese, butter, tuna or any other filling.

My baked tatties consist of only the tattie, with just a little bit of salt, absolutely nothing else!

They had belts and braces too??!!

I hate frozen chips. Most restaurants and pubs that serve food use frozen chips or fries. Yes I am a chip snob but I know what I like and don't like. So if I go out, unless the menu specifically says hand cut chips, I'm replacing the chips with either a jacket potato, mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, etc. it's a legitimate side with a meal. It's often less potato than you would have if it were chipped or mashed!

I have been known to microwave a jacket potato - this is because I can't and don't eat the skin ever. I hate the texture and taste whether soft or crispy. The potato tastes absolutely fine and I'm not turning the oven on to cook 1 potato for god knows how long when I can do it in 10 mins in the microwave! Also, we've had so many potatoes that are crap when you cut them open lately, I don't want to risk cooking it for hours then finding it is no good on the inside!

I'm not getting involved. However, when you think about it, cock a leekie anything and clapshot sound like they should come with a spoonful of antibiotics, delicious as they are.

I’m Scottish and eat my baked tattie with a steak. Delicious

How do you all cook them if you don’t microwave?? 6 minutes in the microwave and finished off in the air fryer for 5minutes at 240 to crisp the skin. Tasty lunch in 10 minutes.

No one has a jacket potato with a a lasagna... that's two main meals.
A jacket is not a side. But it is a jacket.

55 minutes in the air fryer gets the skin (jacket) nice and crispy and the tattie inside nice and fluffy

I mean I get there’s other ways to cook it other than a microwave but god who’s got an hour to wait for a baked potato (and yes I’m Scottish so it’s a baked potato). And yes OP it’s absolutely not a side.

Why is it different to a side order of chips?

I wouldn't have chips or jacket with lasagne.

Wait, outside of Yorkshire people don't have sandwiches in bread cakes*?

I know it's typically in sliced bread, but I didn't think it was only in Yorkshire it was acceptable to use a bread cake*.

*or whatever everyone else calls these.

While I do like to make out my own dialect is the best one, I find other dialects intriguing and seeing how circumstances have influenced the different accents and dialects. I could travel 10 miles down the road and the accents and dialects have changed noticeably.

I’m Scottish, I’ve always called it jacket 🤷‍♀️ i await my deportation!

I don’t think it’s an English thing at all that has them with something, sounds a minority of people, but it does sound good, steak and potato is a decent combo, I could get on board it’s no different from chips or the pasta/potato double carbs vibe.

It definitely is a side. I don't really like chips, so I'm always pleased when jacket potato's an option instead. I don't mean one loaded with beans, cheese etc, just butter or soured cream.

I start them of in the microwave then crisp them up in the air fryer perfect jacket potato everytime

Omg it's really not that deep. Are you ok ?

I'm feeling "potato shamed" with the way I cook my jacket potatoes because I use of a microwave!! :)

I microwave for 5 mins, then air fry for 15 mins. Perfect IMHO!!

I never knew it had a name and had never seen it anywhere else. I thought we made it up 😂

Definitely will be trying not to think of it as cock scratchings for the rest of my life!

From a fellow Scot. I’ll caveat that with saying one from the central belt.

We’re not in any place to offer food advice. The place is overrun with fast food outlets, obesity and diabetes.

Whilst haggis is an outstanding delicacy - a hill I am prepared to die on - I’ve never seen queues like it to attend the opening of a new KFC or a Greggs.

www.thenational.scot/news/24256527.popeyes-opens-second-scottish-branch-11-hour-queues/

We just call them baked potatoes in NI. I suppose that omits the fact that the skin is still on, but I don’t think anyone bakes naked potatoes anyway. I don’t like the term jacket potato or, worse still, jacket for short. I always imagine the potato wearing a little tweed coat🤣 I suppose it’s just whatever you’re used to.

I couldn't believe this either. It's the best bit.

I just think a potato based dish served with a pasta based dish is madness!

Like you wouldn't have Spag Bol and mash potato.... carbonara and dauphinois...