When it comes to midweek lunches, the options are endless, from meal deals to last night’s leftovers. However, one of the most reliable and popular dishes is the humble jacket potato.
These versatile spuds can be dressed up or down depending on your mood. Whether you’re a fan of tuna, baked beans, cheese or just butter, there’s no denying that jacket potatoes are easy to whip up – all you need is an oven or microwave.
But Michelin-trained chef and cookbook author Poppy O’Toole, also known as @poppycooks on TikTok, has a trick to add some pizzazz to your jackets. Earlier this year, she revealed her recipe for jacket potatoes that taste “like garlic bread” on ITV’s This Morning.
She began by piercing a potato with a knife and drizzling it in olive oil. The self-styled potato queen suggests using a baking potato, a Russett, or an Idaho potato, but clarifies that any non-waxy spud will work.
“Once it’s baked well, almost you can cut it into like a star shape. Rather than just into fours, into sixes,” she detailed, showing how to cut across the top of the potato three times to create a star shape, instead of the usual cross, reports the Mirror.
She then whipped up a delectable sauce by blending crushed cooked garlic cloves with butter and parsley.
For the filling, Poppy recommends using either feta or cream cheese, which should be processed until it achieves a whipped consistency. For those who can’t get enough of garlic, she suggests opting for a garlic and herb-flavoured cream cheese, as detailed in her on-site recipe.
Once filled with the creamy cheese mixture, the potato is returned to the oven until the cheese melts into oozy perfection. To finish off, Poppy drizzles her creation with the homemade garlic and parsley butter, proclaiming: “It’s a formidable potato. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
She also notes: “Those little star crosses make it extra-delicious and crispy.”
The dish has garnered rave reviews online, with TikTok user bonnaroo58 exclaiming: “Ookayyyy baked taters tonight for meeeee”. Ballerina Farm Fan declared: “That looks sensational”.
Gillian shared her weekend experience: “made these at the weekend and I have to say they were awesome”. Meanwhile, Melissa simply stated: “amazing”, and Rayna confessed: “I don’t normally like baked potatoes but this made my mouth water”.
For those eager to try this gastronomic delight, Poppy’s full recipe, complete with cooking times, temperatures, and measurements, is available on her website.
