How do you make heavenly jacket potatoes?

[Arlanymor]

I am talking, crispy skin on the outside and gorgeous fluffy potato in the middle. Should be easily shouldn't it? I just can't replicate it at home, despite trying different cooking devices and methods.

Any tips? The best I have ever had is in the Wild Oak Cafe in Llanidloes and I meant to ask them at the time... but I was worried the answer would be: a professional jacket potato oven!

oil And salt on skins
into oven around 190 for 90 mins, directly onto shelf not on baking tray
can’t fail

Ooh direct onto shelf - interesting! Is olive oil alright? Thank you by the way!

So I microwave mine wrapped in a piece of kitchen towel (pierced first) for 10 minutes, then rub them all over in salt and oil and into the air fryer for 30 minutes or until crispy. Otherwise into a hot oven also on the shelf. You can also stick a metal skewer through the middle which speeds up the cooking a little when cooking in the oven.

they take longer than you think and need the salt and oil to go really crisp.

Prick a few times and microwave for 6 minutes. Rub butter into the skin and bake in the over (directly on the shelf) for 50 minutes

Brilliant ideas here, thank you. I've tried partially microwaving and then the air fryer but it's never quite worked for me but I haven't been lavishing my potatoes with oil and salt and/or butter. Poor naked potatoes, no wonder they don't want to go crispy on the outside for me!

To be even more specific, I often take them out the microwave and then into the air fryer and get them to dry off for a few minutes and then brush / spray with oil and salt.

Great, thank you - I think I do need specifics due to previous failures!

I don't know but a friend once made the most divine baked potatoes!

She baked them then sliced off the top quarter and scooped out the flesh which was then mashed in butter and seasoning, all returned into the case and smothered in cheese and returned to the oven. Heavenly indeed😄 🥔

Ooh she's a revolutionary! I love that idea! 😇😋

Experiment with different type of potatoes- Vivaldi work well I think

Ooh that is an excellent point as well - the potato type. I hadn't thought of that. I tend to just pick up a bag of potatoes that says 'baking' on them! No more - I will commit to buying proper/better potatoes fit for the purpose!

Once you have perfected the crispy delicious jackets - the other day I was short of butter so I mixed cream cheese, marmite and butter together and mashed that through the potato before topping with crispy bacon, cheese and beans and it was phenomenal!!

Vivaldi potatoes, rub the skins in butter, microwave then 30 min in a hot oven.

You can scoop add the middles, add some fried bacon, a bit of butter, tiny bit of mustard, some grated cheese. Re stuff. Add more cheese on top, back in the over for 5

Stab a fork deeply into the potato, all over. Rub olive oil and sea salt flakes into the potato.
Bake on a baking tray, turning half-way through at a low heat of around 120 (fan) for 90 minutes.
Check knife slides in smoothly, if not, bake for longer.
Cut in half, add butter then fluff the inside with a fork before adding toppings.

Absolute bloody bliss 😋

Definitely the type of potato makes a difference. Much as I love the Maris Piper there are lots of other nicer varieties. Romano for example. I buy the Albert Rooster ones sometimes.

Oil and salt on the outside.

I wet mine and use rock salt rather than oil, oven shelf at about 190 till they're done (test with a sharp knife). Never melt the cheese though, it's got to be cold for contrast.

Potato type is key!

Pierce a couple of times, rub with veg oil (not olive) and salt.

I really like a filling scooped out, mixed with butter and cheese and put back. An addition of softened onions, bacon bits or spring onions is good too. One other fab filling is some sage and onion packet mix stuffing mixed up and stirred in.

I use frozen-Bannisters
5 mins in microwave
Nothing can replicate the fluffiness
I've tried!

I rub olive oil onto the skins and sprinkle on a bit of sea salt. Put in 200 degree oven for 1 hr 10 minutes for average sized potatoes, or up to 90 minutes for very large potatoes.

Oil, salt, stab it and then cook it for ages, I like about 90 mins but will leave it in longer if that works better for timetable.

Also don’t forget the karate chop movement when you take them out of the oven. It requires a bit of nerve and can be dangerous! Essentially it lets all the steam out of the potato at once, so the insides stay really fluffy. Nigel Slayef explains it better: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/jan/13/foodanddrink.recipes2#:~:text=Ideally%2C%20you%20bring%20your%20hand,to%20turn%20instantly%20to%20snow.

I skewer mine onto metal skewers, helps cook evenly from the inside I think...But more importantly on a high sided baking tray it sort of suspends them above the tray base so they don't get a hard bit on the bottom. I also smother in olive oil and salt. Oven about 180/190, maybe an hour or so, the skewers speeds it up which is handy.

You definitely need the right sort of floury potatoes. We tend to use reds. The current bag is 'Mozart' apparently - I've just gone and read the label. We had some baked the other day and they were great.

Making sure the skin is thoroughly dry is the trick!

Lordy Lordy, I am loving this potato extravaganza of advice, and now I am starving! Thank you all so, so much. I want some easy meals because I am cat-sitting over the weekend and I think I am just going to live on jackets for those two days. Absolutely epic, thank you so much!