Jeremy Vincent: Savoury spuds baked in their jackets

IT MAY be old-fashioned, but potatoes baked in their jackets make for true comfort food.

COUNTRY LIVING: Food Shoot with Jeremy Vincent Jeremy Vincent food shoot June 2014 Pictured: July 22 Cheesy-baked potatoes PICTURE: ZOE PHILLIPS

IT MAY be an old fashioned thing to do, but potatoes baked in their jackets have rarely been off the menu for those who like true comfort food.

And when there are so many ways to jazz up your potato — be it by flavouring the scooped out potato with something scrumptious, or simply adding a delicious topping — there’s a recipe for every day of the week.

CHEESY BAKED POTATOES

Serves 4

4 Desiree potatoes, scrubbed

1 cup aged cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup gruyere cheese, grated

½ cup sour cream

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp chives, finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Dash of Tabasco sauce

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

8 slices cooked bacon, cut into ½cm strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ teaspoon hot paprika

Heat the oven to 220C. Put the potatoes on a baking tray and bake, turning occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly. (You can let the potatoes cool completely and store them in the fridge for a day, but the potato flesh is easier to remove when it is still slightly warm.)

Halve the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out the insides with a spoon into a medium bowl, leaving ½ cm of the outer layer of flesh and skin behind. Transfer the empty potato halves to a baking tray. Combine scooped potato, ½ cup each cheddar and gruyere, and the sour cream, butter, chives, parsley, Tabasco, Worcestershire and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into the potato halves and sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika.

Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

WHICH POTATO TO BAKE?

Depending on your supplier, there are many potato varieties available to use in the kitchen. The following varieties are suitable for baking: Coliban, Desiree, Dutch Creams, Kennebec, Nicola, Patrone, Pink Eye (sometimes called Southern Gold), Pontiac, Sebago and Toolangi Delight.

COOKING IT RIGHT

Making a baked potato, thinking the potato is done and then finding when you cut into it the middle is still hard is really annoying.

It may feel done to the touch, but it may not be soft and fluffy in the middle.

It’s all in the timing and the size of your potato, but here are a couple of basic options — one if you have plenty of time, and an alternative faster method.

SLOW AND STEADY

Preheat oven to 190C to 220C (higher temperature, shorter baking time, but remember the size of your potatoes will also affect the cooking time).

Wash and dry the potatoes.

If you wish you can brush each side of the potato with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Poke holes on all sides with the point of a sharp knife or fork.

Bake at 190C for 75 to 90 minutes, or 220C for an hour.

QUICK SMART

If you are short on time, go for the higher temperature and add a microwave step. After poking the potatoes with a knife or fork, microwave them on full power for 4 minutes. Turn them over and microwave for 4 more minutes. Then, bake the microwaved potato in the 220C oven for 20 minutes.

CARAMELISED ONION AND MUSHROOM TOPPING

CUT 500g of swiss brown mushrooms into ½ cm slices. Peel and thinly slice 1 large red onion. Whisk together 6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and ¾ teaspoon of cornflour. Set aside.

In a heavy-based frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. If the onions begin to brown too quickly, lower the heat. Sprinkle the onions with ¼ teaspoon of sugar and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low to low and continue to cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 3 to 5 minutes.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic and the mushrooms. Turn the heat up to medium and saute until they are tender and golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add ½ cup of red wine to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the vinegar mixture, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and cook until thick and syrupy. Stir in 2 teaspoons of freshly chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve mushroom mixture over baked potatoes.

Top with sliced chives and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.