There’s no denying a jacket potato is one of life’s simple pleasures, but sometimes minimalism is not the order of the day. So if, say, tuna mayo is as edgy as your fillings get, it’s time to broaden your horizons: “For a rich, savoury twist, crisp chorizo and cream cheese make the ultimate indulgent filling,” says Poppy O’Toole, spud queen and author of The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker. She starts by frying chopped chorizo in a dry pan until it releases its oil, then stirs half the meat and its fat through some cream cheese. “Butter up your jacket potato, top with a big spoonful of the chorizo cream cheese, and sprinkle the rest of the fried chorizo on top for a satisfying, flavour-packed meal.”
The thing to remember about jacket spud fillings is that they “need a bit of richness to get them going”, says Gary Foulkes, executive chef at Cornus in London, and that’s why cheese works so well: “Realistically, it’s only ever going to be a five out of 10 if there’s no cheese in the mix.” Happily, that’s not the case in Foulkes’ favoured cowboy beans, which can be made one of two ways. First, there’s the cheffy approach: “Bake haricot beans in stock, then add some smoked bacon, a little chorizo and sauteed peppers, then emulsify that with butter and finish with chilli flakes.” Or open a tin of Heinz barbecue beans (other brands are, of course, available), “then add a few other bits and pieces: chopped sausage, chopped smoked bacon, peppers, a squeeze of lime, some chilli – whatever you like, really.” Finish things off with a grating of that all-important cheese (smoked apple cheddar, in Foulkes’ case), and “that’s quick and delicious, which is all it needs to be”.
