The perfect jacket potato
It isn’t difficult to make a perfect jacket potato; there are only a few simple steps to follow to make this tasty and nutritious snack/accompaniment.
The first step is to get the right kind of potato. You want one with the highest starch content you can find. The ideal potato for baking is the Russet, also called Idaho. This elongated spud has a dry texture which, when baked, will be light and fluffy. If you can’t find a Russet go for an all purpose potato such as the Yukon Gold. These won’t be quite as fluffy, but will taste fine.
Always remember to inspect your potatoes before you buy them. Go for smooth, unbroken skin, and reject any that are wrinkled, bruised, have spots of green or are sprouting. Prior to cooking, preheat your oven to 400 degrees then prepare your potatoes. Do this by scrubbing them under the tap. Bake potatoes of about the same size so that they all cook evenly.
Stab the potato evenly 10-12 times with a fork. This is vital, as if the steam has no means of escape they will explode; it also enhances the fluffiness. Just before cooking, rub them lightly with vegetable oil and sprinkle coarse salt over them, this ensures a delicious and crispy skin. Never wrap them in foil, this is a misconception with baked potatoes, and it results in oversteaming and both the taste and texture is affected.
Cook your potatoes in the centre of the oven, 60 mins for large ones, 45 for smaller. If you need to cook something else at the same time, for every 50 degrees lower your oven is, add approximately 15 mins cooking time.
