A baked potato, known in some parts of the United Kingdom (though not generally Scotland) as a jacket potato,[1] is a preparation of potato. The ideal baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crispy skin. It may be served with fillings, toppings or condiments such as butter, cheese, sour cream, gravy, baked beans, and even ground meat or corned beef.
Some varieties of potato, such as Russet and King Edward, are more suitable for baking than others, owing to their size and consistency. Despite the popular misconception that potatoes are fattening, baked potatoes can be part of a healthy diet.
Preparation
Potatoes can be baked in a conventional gas or electric oven, a convection oven, a microwave oven, on a barbecue grill, or on (or in) an open fire. Some restaurants use special ovens designed specifically to cook large numbers of potatoes, then keep them warm and ready for service.
Prior to cooking, the potato should be scrubbed clean, washed and dried with eyes and surface blemishes removed, and basted with oil (usually olive oil) or butter and/or salt. Pricking the potato with a fork or knife allows steam to escape during the cooking process. Potatoes cooked in a microwave oven without pricking the skin might split open due to built up internal pressure from unvented steam. It takes between one and two hours to bake a large potato in a conventional oven at 200 °C (392 °F). Microwaving takes from six to twelve minutes depending on oven power and potato size, but does not generally produce a crisp skin. Some recipes call for use of both a microwave and a conventional oven, with the microwave being used to vent most of the steam prior to the cooking process.
Wrapping the potato in aluminium foil before cooking in a standard oven will help to retain moisture, while leaving it unwrapped will result in a crisp skin. When cooking over an open fire or in the coals of a barbecue, it may require wrapping in foil to prevent burning of the skin. A potato buried directly in coals of a fire cooks very nicely, with a mostly burned and inedible skin. A baked potato is fully cooked when its internal temperature reaches 99 °C (210 °F).
Once a potato has been baked, some people discard the skin and eat only the softer and moister interior, while others enjoy the taste and texture of the crisp skin, which is rich in dietary fiber. Potatoes baked in their skins may lose between 20 and 40% of their vitamin C content because heating in air is slow and vitamin inactivation can continue for a long time. Small potatoes bake more quickly than large ones and therefore retain more of their vitamin C.[3]
Pour pasta mixture into a prepared casserole dish and top with potato gems and sprinkle over a little extra cheese. Step 6. Bake for 20 minutes or until.
60 old-fashioned dinners the family will love
Remember your favourite dishes from childhood? We have them all! From mushy peas to meatballs, you’ll never be stuck for what to make at dinner time.
Potato Gem-Topped Tuna Bake
Transform a traditional family tuna pasta bake and take it to the next level by adding a crispy potato gem topping.
Grandma’s crispy Yorkshire fish cakes with mushy peas
These fish cakes with mushy peas have a lot of history. Grandad, a professional fisherman caught the fish and Grandma used the leftovers from his catch to make this delicious, hearty meal.
Italian Ratatouille
Typical Italian herbs, spices and veggies in a delightful tomato sauce, served with curried rice. Great with a fresh mixed Italian salad and some fresh baguette!
Pumpkin, spinach and fetta quiche
A filling and tasty quiche that’s perfect as a midweek meal.
Gnocchi and Tuna Bake
A quick and easy meal to prepare that tastes great.
Swedish rissoles
Swedish meatballs are rightly famous, but why make them bite-size when you can upsize to rissoles? Serve with a creamy sauce and pasta.
Slow cooked cheesy potatoes
These delicious cheesy potatoes are perfect for the slow cooker or oven.
Shepherd’s Pie with Turkey
Try this traditional shepherd’s pie recipe made with turkey instead of lamb. It’s a different kind of flavour, but it’s definitely not lacking in warmth and heartiness.
Crunchy Chicken Polenta Strips with Speedy Ratatouille
Done in 30 minutes!
Ratatouille
This classic French vegetarian stew is rich and hearty, just the ticket for a nourishing meal. Packed with flavour, this traditional ratatouille recipe is ready to take a starring role in your next dinner, or serve on the side.
Mini Bacon and Egg Pies
This recipe is great for lunchboxes and after school snacks. They’re so easy to make, only 4 ingredients!
Mini Corn Fritters
Yummy light and fluffy fritters with hidden vegetables.
Baked Sausage Ratatouille
Nothing beats the simplicity of a tray-bake, and this one has all the goodness of vegetables with the yummy addition of pork sausages.
Fish Pie with a Twist
A fish pie with a difference.
Quick Bacon and Egg Pie
An easy to prepare dish that is a hit for lunch the next day.
Bob’s Rissoles
Easy to make, tasty rissoles.
Cheesy Potatoes
Great as a side dish or makes a quick easy snack.
Shepherd’s Pie Cob Loaf
When a traditional lamb mince shepherd’s pie and cob loaf dip combine… we present to you our Shepherd’s Pie Cob! It’s topped with creamy mashed potatoes and melted cheese for a crowd-pleasing dish.
Corn Fritters
A favourite on cafe menus, corn fritters are simple to make at home with basic pantry ingredients and can be enjoyed hot or cold, which makes them perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, or a super-easy dinner!
Tuna and Creamed Corn Fritters
Easy tuna fritters that are nice served with salad.
Fetta and Corn Fritters
Corn fritters with a twist. The feta melts slightly and gives them a bit of a gooey yummy texture on the inside, while crispy on the outside.
Crunchy Fish Pie
This is the best fish dish I have ever cooked!
Asparagus and Sweet Corn Fritters
Whip up plenty of these tasty fritters as leftovers are perfect for the breakfast or lunch the next day. They are also great for packing into lunch boxes and picnic hampers.
Creamed Corn Fritters
Quick, easy and delicious. These fritters are light and crisp and very moreish.
Mum’s Shepherd’s pie
This is a golden oldie, tried and tested many times over. It’s delicious.
Mini Tuna Bake Pizzas
Creamy, cheesy tuna bake topped on a crunchy bread stick. A great party snack or serve with salad for a hearty meal.
Honey Prawns
A tasty stir-fry.
Prawns and Bacon
Lovely quick and easy recipe to make, and tastes terrific.
Garlic Prawns
A tasty, easy garlic prawn recipe. My family loves it.
Chicken and Vegetable Rissoles
A healthy dish – accompany with some salad for a perfect combination meal for lunch or dinner.
Beef Rissoles
This is my recipe for beef rissoles that can either be served with a salad or vegetables, or used as a patty on a hamburger. They are delicious, and I promise they wont last long.
Tuna patties
Tuna patties made without mashed potato.
Savoury Tuna Patties
A nice, creamy textured patty, that is loved by even the fussiest eaters!
Savoury Rissoles
Beef mince rissoles.
Tuna Patties
Easy tuna patties.
Shepherd’s Pie
Just like my mum made many years ago, economical and tastes great!
Creamed corn fritters
Quick and easy snack for lunch or dinner. I promise, they will ask for more.
Deep Dish Bacon and Vegetable Quiche
This vegie-packed quiche with a golden crust is perfect to feed your family of 8.
Fish Pie
This yummy fish pie is great for you and super tasty! Ready to eat in an hour, so a good option for weeknight dinners.
Creamy Garlic Prawns
These creamy garlic prawns are restaurant-quality that you can make at home. Flavoured with garlic, white wine, basil and fresh cream, they make a perfect entree and are fantastic served with rice.
Zucchini Quiche
Filled with soft onions, swirls of garlicky zucchini and a cheesy egg custard, you won’t believe how easy this vegetarian quiche is to make.
Bacon and Egg Pie with Spinach
This delicious bacon and egg pie is so tasty that you will go back for more! So quick and easy and the whole family will love it.
Fish Pie
Best ever fish pie. A lovely combination of ingredients. A friend cooked this for us recently and I didn’t like the thought of smoked cod. How wrong I was – it really gave the pie such a lovely flavour.
Fish Pie
A tasty fish/seafood meal that is easy to prepare and extremely adaptable in terms of ingredients and quantities.
Easy Savoury Mince
A tasty savoury mince.
Creamy fisherman’s potato bake
Potato bake doesn’t need to be relegated to a side dish. This fisherman’s potato bake is a seafood pie and creamy potato dish wrapped into one, and it’s every bit the main event.
Tuna Patties
These are the best tuna patties: budget-friendly, super tasty and very easy to make.
Savoury Mince
Healthy and tasty.
Tuna Patties
Tuna patties with white parsley sauce.
Curried Savoury Mince
A savoury curried mince served with mashed potato.
Savoury Mince and Mashed Potato
A quick and easy, upside down version of shepherd’s pie.
Mexican Savoury Mince
This tasty dish presents well and my kids all love it. You can sneak grated vegetables into it too. A lot of ingredients but they all go together well.
Tuna Patties with a Zesty Sauce
An extremely tasty tuna patty recipe that the whole family will love.
Tasty Family Fish Pie
This is a lovely, easy dish to make for the family for either a luncheon dish or a tea dish.
Savoury Mince
Using a packet of beef mince, this family-favourite has lots of flavour and is perfect for an easy meal with toast, rice or vegies.
Slow Cooker Savoury Mince
Just put it on in the morning and walk away.
Tuna Patties
An easy meal with canned tuna.
French chicken rissoles
Here’s an easy meal the whole family will enjoy that’s packed with flavour and so easy to make. You’ll have these chicken rissoles on the table less than half an hour after walking in the door.
Cheesy Tuna Rissoles
Made with a can of tuna and a few other staple ingredients, we’re cooking up these crumbed rissoles on repeat