When I decided to put these twice baked potatoes on the menu plan for this week, I imagined that I would have a recipe here on the blog to consult where quantities were concerned. Well I was wrong! I seriously can't quite believe that I haven't blogged the recipe for these little darlings, mostly because they're so NICE!
Now, having made them again without following any recipe but relying on my (patchy, at best) memory of what to use and how much, I appear to have made the best version of these baked potatoes, to date. All of which necessitated a blog entry, so that I can re-create them in future.
They are very simple to make and don't take much longer than a standard jacket potato. You just need to allow a bit of time for filling the potato shells and putting them back into the oven to finally bake. Making the filling is a little bit fiddly, but can easily be done while the potatoes are baking, so no worries there.
In this instance, I served the potatoes with some leftover gammon ham, juicy tomatoes and homemade coleslaw. However, finding something to serve them with really shouldn't be difficult - they can be lunch, the star of the show, a side dish or even a standalone item in a finger buffet (so long as you let them cool down a bit!).
So the next time you find yourself with two rashers of bacon (or some ham) that are homeless - break out the twice baked potato and do yourself a super-tasty favour.
BACON & CHEDDAR TWICE BAKED POTATOES (serves 3)
Ingredients :
3 large baking potatoes (floury are best - I like Marabel type)
a drizzle of rapeseed or olive oil
sea salt & ground black pepper
2 rashers of smoked back bacon
1 heaped tsp of sour cream or mayonnaise
1 tsp of wholegrain mustard
2-3 spring onions, sliced finely on the diagonal
200g & 50g mature cheddar cheese, grated.
Method :
Pre-heat your oven to 200degC/400degF/Gas 6.
Taking each baking potato, cut each in half long-ways. If necessary, shave a tiny amount from the underside of each half, so that it will sit level and steady on a baking tray.
Drizzle each half with oil and season lightly with sea salt & black pepper, then place into the oven - on a high rack - to bake for 45mins.
While the potatoes are baking, make the filling.
Grill the two rashers of bacon until cooked through and the fat rendered, but not crispy. Set them aside to cool.
Into a large heatproof bowl, place the spring onions, sour cream, mustard and bulk of the cheese. Reserve the 50g of cheese for sprinkling over the filled potatoes. Cut the bacon into tiny pieces and add to the bowl.
When the potatoes are soft and baked golden brown on top, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool slightly in order for them to be handled. Using a teaspoon, gently remove the bulk of the cooked flesh from inside each half and add it to the filling bowl. Replace the empty shell onto the baking tray.
Break up the potato flesh using a fork and mix lightly into the rest of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.
Spoon the filling back into the shells, making sure not to pack it down. Leave each spoonful light and airy for a deliciously luscious look. Once the filling is evenly distributed, divide the remainder of the grated cheese between each potato half, sprinkling it over the top.
Place the potatoes back into the oven for 15-20 mins until golden brown and delicious.
Serve with your choice of accompaniment.
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In an attempt to put some lighter and remotely healthy dishes on the menu list, I hit upon the half-way house that is "something with salad and a jacket potato" idea. The something being the star of the show, the salad being the healthy bit and the jacket potato takes on the role of the filler.
You see, I've discovered that if you go from big old hearty stews with dumplings, enormous bowls of steaming pasta, lovely warming soups etc. straight to salads, what you wind up with are a lot of peckish chaps by 9pm.
So, in this intervening period (Spring, some call it) I've been trying to hit upon nice half-way house types of recipes that suit the weather and suit everyone's need for something fresher and lighter for dinner. Of course, needless to say, by next week it'll be sub-zero overnight and we'll be hankering for the old Shin of beef stews again - but I might as well try!
This Honey Mustard Chicken recipe is a perfect example of a recipe of the type. The chicken is served hot, as is the jacket potato - so both warm you up a bit on a chilly evening. However, the salad provides that fresh flavour and crunch that your tastebuds have been hankering for, after a couple of months of root vegetables.
In fact, this chicken recipe is the first for aeons that the glaze has actually gone right - and glazed the chicken, instead of falling off and resisting all attempts to have it do any glazing. Instead, it normally winds up laying in the bottom of the pan sulking, claiming it's "not in their job description" and "a real cook would know how".
This glaze - whether it was the hotter temperature, or the size of the pan I got right - worked perfectly and the chicken came out of the oven suitably glazed, with a lovely soft, perfectly cooked middle.
Because I was cooking the Jacket Potatoes at the same time, I had the oven temperature up at 200 deg C instead of 180/190 deg C - which is what I would normally cook chicken at. It seems as though I shall have to try this hotter temperature again, as it seemed to do the trick beautifully.
A word about the Jacket Potatoes themselves. They were Asda's Extra Special Marabel potatoes, which I would heartily recommend. They are sweet and fluffy - and the skins taste really richly potato-like. Oh, and ignore the "won't need butter" instruction on the label - they might not NEED butter, but every jacket potato should have SOME butter!
July 2018
I have just made this yummy chicken dish again - except this time I paired it with some delicious paprika roast potatoes and a mixed salad with cherries. I had forgotten how good the chicken tasted and how easy it was to make! Here's the picture of today's incarnation. :D
HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN WITH HERB SALAD & JACKET POTATO (serves 3)
Ingredients :
2 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp grain mustard
half a lime, juice only
3 skinless chicken breasts
3 baking potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
3 knobs of butter
3 tbsp soured cream
3 tsp chopped fresh chives
A bag of herb salad
9 cherry tomatoes
some cucumber slices
Method :
Pre-heat oven to 200deg C/400deg F/Gas 6.
Take the three baking potatoes and clean them thoroughly, removing any dodgy looking eyes or scratch marks and rub in the olive oil to the skins of the potatoes and place onto a baking sheet. Season both sides of the potatoes, then place into the oven for an hour.
Mix the honey, mustard and lime juice together in a small bowl.
Trim the chicken breasts of any fat and arrange them in a baking dish. Spoon the honey/mustard/lime juice mix over, taking care to cover every inch of the chicken.
Place into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is white all the way through and not showing any pink liquid when pierced with a knife.
In the meantime, open a bag of herb salad and arrange a portion onto each of the three plates. Add the cherry tomatoes and cucumber.
When done, place a jacket potato alongside the salad. Cut a cross into the top of each and squeeze gently to raise the flesh of the potato. Add a knob of butter, a tbsp of soured cream and sprinkle the chives over.
Add the chicken with a little of the cooking juices spooned over and serve.
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