Cheese and tuna jackets recipe

Jacket potatoes are always a winner – easy on the purse and filling too. These cheese and tuna jackets make a healthy family meal especially when served with salad. The secret to a perfectly cooked crispy-skin-and-fluffy-in-the-middle jacket potato is to choose a good baking variety such as King Edward, scrub and prick the skin and rub with a little olive oil or sunflower oil. Bake directly on the oven shelf for 1-11/2 hrs until it feels soft when gently squeezed. But if time is short, you can start them in the microwave and then finish in the oven for 20 mins to crisp the skin.

Like this? You're going to love our jacket potato fillings.

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes about 150-200g each, scrubbed
• 2tsp sunflower oil
• 25g butter
• 200g mature Cheddar, grated
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 185g can tuna, drained and flaked
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 2tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salad, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Prick the potatoes several times with a fork, rub a little oil over the skin and season with salt. Place directly on the oven shelf and bake for 1-11½hrs, turning occasionally, until they feel soft when gently squeezed.
2. When cooked, cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the soft potato into a bowl. Add the butter and two-thirds of the cheese and season with cayenne pepper, salt and freshly ground pepper. Mash until smooth, adding a little milk to soften, if necessary. Stir in the tuna, spring onions and parsley.
3. Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins, place on a baking tray and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until golden. Serve with salad.