The perfect baked potato
Ingredients
- 2 large floury potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward or Marfona are all good bakers)
- olive oil
- flaked sea salt
For the smoked fish melt filling (optional)
- 2 smoked mackerel or trout fillets
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chives
- 2 handfuls grated mature cheddar
- 1 tsp hot horseradish sauce or English mustard
- 2 large knobs of butter
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Wash the potatoes well, dry them and prick several times with a fork. Pour some olive oil into your hands and rub over the potatoes, then scatter over some sea salt which should stick to the oil. Place directly on the shelf in the oven and bake for 1¼–1½ hours, depending on the size of the potato. When cooked, the potato should be golden-brown and crisp on the outside and give a little when squeezed. Serve split open with lots of salted butter or try the filling below.
For the smoked fish melt filling, preheat the grill to medium–high.
Split the baked potatoes in half and scoop out most of the fluffy flesh with a fork into a bowl. For the filling, flake in the smoked mackerel and add the parsley or chives, three-quarters of the cheese, the horseradish or mustard and butter and stir with the potato flesh until just combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spoon back into the potato skins, sit on a baking sheet and scatter over the remaining cheese. Grill until the cheese is bubbling and pale golden-brown.
Recipe tips
Rubbing salt and oil into the potato skin helps it crisp up as well as adding flavour.
Cooking potatoes relatively slowly is key to getting a soft fluffy spud. You could lower the oven temperature by up to 20C if it's convenient for them to be in the oven for longer, but don't be tempted to make the oven hotter than 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
