Chef's jacket potato 'shortcut' for perfectly crispy skin and 'fluffy centre'

11 February 2024 , 14:30

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Professional chef Dean Harper has shared his secret for the perfect baked potato (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)

Crispy skin is the difference between a delicious jacket potato and a pile of inedible mush.

Whether you're a tuna mayo and cheese kind of guy, or like to keep it simple with heaps of baked beans and butter - it's no secret that Brits are obsessed with jacket potatoes. In fact, residents recently queued up for three hours to get hold of a baked potato from the world-famous Spudman truck.

The key to this quintessential dish is, of course, a crispy outside contrasted with a lightly, fluffy inside. Dean Harper, chef and director of Harper Fine Dining, has shared his secret to achieving just that, and his method may surprise you...

"A great shortcut for cooking jacket potatoes is to microwave them for five to seven minutes before putting them in the oven," he told the Express. "This will not only shorten the overall baking time but will help to achieve a soft and fluffy centre while keeping the skin nice and crispy.

"You can create an even airier texture by using a fork to fluff up the insides of the potato before adding your toppings." Harper also recommends adding a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the skin before baking them at 220C for 10-30 minutes depending on its size and how crispy you prefer the skin.

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Recently, celeb chef Tom Kerridge came under fire for charging punters an eye-watering £19.50 for a single jacket potato at his posh pub. The MasterChef star was accused of 'taking the p**s' with the menu prices of his eatery The Coach in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Despite costing just 70p for a bag of four from Tesco, Kerridge is flogging his 'Coach Baked Potato 'Raclette' with Sauce Reform' for almost 20 quid - and people aren't happy. "What's next? Luxury beans on toast?" one person joked - while another commented: "For £20 it should be a Fancy Spudulike."

However, some still seemed eager to try the dish. "That's what I call classic style spud, that's class," one person wrote. TV presenter Lisa Snowdon added: "Yum."

Liam Gilliver