It’s an easy dish that takes just 30 minutes to make and reheats beautifully, making it ideal for cooking ahead, the ultimate comfort meal jacket potato with a twist
Nothing screams comfort food more than a cheese-laden jacket potato – particularly one with a crispy skin.
TV chef James Martin’s take on the humble spud turns it into something a tad more luxurious. Instead of the standard beans and grated cheddar, this method layers in deeper flavours whilst keeping everything familiar and comforting.
Revealed on his show James Martin: Home Comforts, this twist pairs crisp-skinned potatoes with a smooth leek and white wine cream, melty taleggio cheese, and crunchy bacon. You don’t have to slave away for hours making it either – the prep takes about 30 minutes before it’s ready to cook.
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Plus, the dish reheats wonderfully – leftovers taste just as scrumptious the next day, making it perfect for cooking ahead, reports the Express.
James Martin’s baked potato recipe
Ingredients
- Four large baking potatoes
- One tbsp olive oil
- 25g butter
- One shallot, finely chopped
- One garlic clove, thinly sliced
- Two leeks, halved lengthways, then sliced
- 75ml white wine
- 300ml double cream
- 150g taleggio cheese, roughly chopped
- Eight slices of streaky bacon
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to cook jacket potatoes
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 for a crispy skin. Rub the potatoes with olive oil, prick them all over with a fork, and place them on a baking tray with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Bake on the top shelf until tender with crackly skins, about one hour. Remove and let cool just enough to handle. In the meantime, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter, shallot, and garlic; cook for two to three minutes, then add the leeks and cook for two minutes more.
Pour in the white wine and simmer until it has reduced by half. Stir in the double cream and simmer for about four minutes, until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Slice the baked potatoes into quarters and place them in a dish safe for oven use. Ladle the leek-and-cream sauce over the potatoes, then sprinkle the taleggio cheese on top.
Sizzle the bacon in a hot pan until it turns golden and crispy, then roughly dice it and scatter it over the cheese. Pop the dish back into the oven for approximately 10 minutes, until it’s bubbling and has a light brown hue.
Prepare this dish ahead of time and reheat gently; the flavours will intensify by the following day.
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