Is there anything more comforting than a jacket potato done to perfection? You can fill them with anything (tuna, beans, cheese, coleslaw) but this mushroom, leek and cheddar cheese combination is something different and quite special! Enjoy!
The trick in cooking the perfect jacket potato is to get the skin really crispy and the inside soft and fluffy. I always pierce the skin of the jacket potato with a fork several times so when the water inside the potato gets so hot and needs to escape it doesn’t split the skin and cause the potato to explode.
Next I rub the skin in olive oil and season it with lots of salt and pepper. The salt absorbs water and makes the skin extra crispy. It provides well needed seasoning to the skin.
The next trick is cooking it for long enough – probably the most important step. Cooking for 2 hours at 180 degrees Celsius usually results in perfection. 2 hours is a long time, but you just pop them in and leave them. Minimal effort is required!
These four ingredients are great together and there is no need to add anything else. However, if you are trying to increase the protein content, then a little ham can be a nice addition.
Humble jacket potato with mushrooms, leeks and cheddar cheese
Ingredients
- 2 baking potatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 200 g leeks
- 120 g chestnut mushrooms
- 150 g cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Pierce the baking potato several times with a fork and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a tray in the oven for 2 hours.
- About, 25 minutes before the potatoes are ready to come out of the oven, fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes, until they starting to release water and shrink a little.
- Add the chopped leeks and cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes until they are soft and starting to fall apart.
- Meanwhile, heat the mustard seeds in a dry pan until they start to pop, then remove them from the heat.
- Once the mushrooms and leeks are cooked, add the cheese and mustard seeds and stir until the cheese is melted.
- Take the potatoes out of the oven, cut in half and top with the mushrooms, leeks, cheese and mustard seeds mixture.
