A staple of the British diet.
and now maybe a staple of the CF diet too!
The beauty of this dish is that it can be whatever you want it to be. A jacket potato is quintessentially a comfort food and toppings can be made of your most favourite treats. It can take any shape and any size, perfect for a group filled of different needs.
I will tell you about my favourite potato recipe.
a general cooking FYI..
I will be keeping portions out of these discussions because I feel like focusing on how much in terms of food, creates more pressure rather than anything else. People with dietary issues are already hyper focused on either getting just enough or not getting too much, those types of comparisons are not only restrictive but suggesting there is only one level of too much or one level of too little is simply wrong.
We’re all different, our portions will be too.
But now, back to the recipe !
the potato
Set oven at 200 degrees celsius.
Here you can either choose one big potato or a few medium sized ones, the difference will mainly just be the cooking time. But in all seriousness, any potato will do. Clean the potatoes and place them in an oven bake dish; fill the dish with about 3 or 4 centimetres of water, or at least a third of the height of the potato, this will keep the potato from burning and drying. Finally, add a pinch of salt to the water.
Then place in the oven.
Turn over the potatoes a couple of times whilst it cooks. Check the potato with a fork and cook it to how you want it, soft and fluffy is my way. If your potato is cooking faster than the water is evaporating, you can take the aluminium lid off whilst the potato is still cooking.
little extra touch
to get the potatoes properly crispy, drain the water from the potatoes about 10 minutes before they are ready. Cover the potato in a slight sheen of oil and then sprinkle salt and pepper straight onto the potatoes.
Now it’s ready for the sauce and finally to serve.
the sauce
This is where you can get as creative as you want.
My fav recipe is 1 part diced bacon, 1 part frankfurters cut into small bits as well, and 1 part fresh baby spinach. Then I coat all of this with some glorious cream cheese.
instructions
Fry up the bacon first in olive oil, when it becomes just a little golden and crispy add the diced frankfurters. Here you can add parsley, marjoram, cumin and ginger. Next step is to add the baby spinach, if you can, avoid boiling it before hand and allow it to cook with the meat. Add a dash of water and salt to counteract the sweetness of the spinach and to help it cooking.
cumin & ginger
these two spices are beneficial on so many levels; they both aid the process of digestion, help people with diabetes, both are anti-inflammatory, they stabilise weight irregularities and much more. These spices can really help people with CF and other digestive issues. Putting just a pinch, will not change the taste of your food, but it’s a little hand to get you through it.
The final touch is simply the cream cheese. I put enough to cover the meat and spinach entirely. Turn the heat down to low to allow the philadelphia or cream cheese to melt. If you didn’t add the dash of water to the spinach you can add it here to make it just a little more creamy. Or if you want to be extra; you can add a tiny bit of milk instead.
now join these two beauties …
… and voilà!
There really are endless possibilities for shameless gluttony when it comes to jacket potatoes… The most common difference between mine and the rest of the world’s is the use of cheddar. You can add cheddar to the potatoes in the oven just before they are done. In actual fact you could melt any type of cheese on it. If you’ve got some raclette, slap it on there!
A weird yet common way to make jacket potatoes is to add cheddar, tuna and beans.
don’t ask me why. I’m just letting you know it exists.
Another fun option would be to make a chilli con carne jacket potato!
Or a four cheese and zucchini jacket potato!
Go crazy with it!
and if you come up with any new recipes let me know!!
The great thing about embracing any mighty potato is that it can largely replace gluten based foods and other carbohydrates. I struggle with gluten, wheat and most breads, so having a fun way to eat a potato has become essential to me as an adult. And to battle the fact that sometimes it gets boring, I just treat a potato like most would treat toast.
Now a confession… the final picture of the full dish is not the quantity I usually have. Just so you know, after I took the picture I added a whole other potato onto my plate. We must eat based on our needs. So, it is up to you to create the size of your own meal. No need to compare to others.
Just make it so that you can enjoy it.
talk soon
Ballistic xx