Clodagh's 3 way loaded potatoes
There’s nothing quite like a crispy skinned, fluffy jacket potato as a budget-friendly way to feed the family. Clodagh’s in the kitchen ready with three delicious ideas to fill your jacket spuds, she’s got everything from Cauliflower cheese to an American loaded with cheese, bacon, spring onions and sour cream and curried beans - we’ve got you covered.
Loaded Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt
For the cauliflower cheese
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
500ml milk
2 bay leaves
60g butter
200g mature cheddar cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the fully loaded spuds
1 tbsp olive oil
4 streaky rashers
50g butter
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
90g sour cream
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the homemade baked beans
Olive oil
3 shallots, diced
50g butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
100g tomato passata
400g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Use a fork to poke a few holes into the potatoes. Place on the baking sheet, rub with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with sea salt all over.
3. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender and the skin is crisp.
4. Put the cauliflower into a saucepan set over a medium heat, and add the milk and bay leaves. Heat until almost boiling, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until tender, approximately 20 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, slice them open down the middle and use a spoon to scrape out the pulp into a bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of potato pulp on the skin. Add the butter, the cauliflower and a healthy splash of the milk, and mash to combine.
6. Spoon the mixture back into the empty jackets, place on a baking sheet and shower with cheese. Return to the oven for approximately 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.
7. For the loaded spuds, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon for 5-8 mins until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel, and leave to cool for a few minutes, then place on a chopping board and finely chop and set aside.
8. Cut the top quarter of each of the 4 baked potatoes lengthwise and using a spoon, scoop the pulp from the potatoes into a mixing bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of pulp on the skin. Return the potato shells to the baking tray.
9. Mash the potato pulp and butter until smooth, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Next add the ¾ of the grated cheese, sour cream, butter, bacon, and spring onions and mix together.
10. Spoon the potato mixture back into the potato shells, top with the remaining grated cheese, and bake until hot and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
11. For the homemade baked beans, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Then stir in the chopped shallots and garlic. Cover, reduce the heat to low and allow to sweat for 5 minutes. Next remove the lid and stir in the tomato puree, smoked paprika, vinegar and sugar. Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes.
12. Stir in the tomato passata and cannellini beans, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes.
13. Slice open the potatoes down the middle and use a spoon to scrape out the pulp into a bowl. Add the butter and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mash together. Spoon the mixture back into the empty jackets and serve each potato with a big spoon of homemade baked beans.