One of my favorite vegetables (and I have never made any secret about this) is the humble potato. I cannot get enough of them. I enjoy them in any way shape or form.
Boiled, steamed, fried, baked, roasted, mashed, you name it. If there is a potato involved I am all in!
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I think the potato has to be one of the most versatile vegetables out there. They can form a basis, or a canvas as it were, for many other textures and flavors.
They are often used to make alcohol. (Vodka, Potcheen or Akvavit). You can use them to make candy. The starch is used in the food industry as a thickener or binder, and in the textile industry as an adhesive or the manufacture of paper and boards.
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Of course I love eating potatoes, in pretty much any way shape or form, but one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is baked. With their crisp jackets and fluffy interiors a well baked potato is truly a thing of beauty to me.
It is also a magnificent canvas upon which to write other flavors and when done right can serve as a full meal. Indeed the U.K. has no end of shops in which you can buy only baked potatoes (or jacket potatoes are they are lovingly referred to) with any number of toppings.
One of my first meals ever eaten in the U.K. was a jacket potato topped with cheese in the food court at Euston Station. You could get them topped with tuna mayonnaise, baked beans, cheese, etc.
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This Loaded Baked Potato recipe I am sharing with you today is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them, and it is really a meal in and of itself. Of course the heartier eater might enjoy it as a side.
This all depends on the size of your potato of course and whilst the ingredients I have given are for one baked potato, you can certainly multiply them to feed more people.
In fact, while the oven is on, why not bake a half dozen or so baked potatoes. You will find that baked and cooled they will come in very handy to do all sorts such as make salads, soups or even home fries!
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WHAT KIND OF POTATO IS BEST FOR BAKING
Of course you can bake any kind or size of potato but for the ultimate baked potato experience you want a potato that is a bit larger in size and that will bake up with a light and fluffy interior.
Russet potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture, which makes them nice and fluffy after baking. Their thick skin crisps up well, too.
When baking you want to choose medium-sized potatoes, each around the same size (about one-half pound) so they all finish baking at the same time.
If you live in the U.K. I recommend using a Maris Piper or a King Edward potato.
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HOW TO BAKE A POTATO
You want to begin with really clean potatoes. I scrub mine really well under running cold water with a vegetable brush. I love to eat the skins, its one of my favorite parts, so a clean skin is really important to me.
Once you have cleaned your potato you need to prick it all over with a fork, about six times should do it. Anyone who has had to clean up potato baked into their oven from an exploding potato knows full well the value of pricking them before baking!
It might not happen, but if it does, it creates a huge mess. Pricking them alleviates the problem!
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Some people like to use the air fryer to bake their potatoes and I highly recommend this method, especially in the summer months when you don't want to turn on the oven. 40 minutes (washed, dried and pricked) at 400*F/200*C does the trick quite nicely.
Some people like to rub the skins with oil and salt before baking and this certainly ensures a nice crisp skin.
You can also bake them in the microwave. I don't recommend baking really large potatoes in the microwave however as the ends will get chewy and over cooked before the centers are baked. Wash and prick as above. Wrap in paper toweling and then bake on high for about 3 to 4 minutes. I don't recommend doing any more than two at a time.
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Aside from the air fryer, my favorite method is to bake them in the oven. I wash, dry, prick and rub them with a bit of oil and salt and then place them into a hot oven (400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6) placing them directly onto the rack of the oven.
This helps the hot air of the oven to circulate around them completely, and gives you a really nice crisp skin.
Another favorite way to enjoy a baked potato is when you are camping. Wrap in foil and then toss them into the coals to bake. Or even the coals in your fireplace or wood stove will do. Delicious!
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HOW TO TOP A BAKED POTATO
Baked potatoes are a fabulous canvas for most flavors. I have enjoyed many a baked potato topped with hot chili and cheese. Bake beans and cheese are another favorite.
Sour cream, chives and crisp bacon bits are another favorite.
Some people love them topped with tuna mayonnaise. (Personally that has never really appealed to me.)
Today I have loaded my baked potato up with broccoli and cheese and bacon!! This is a delicious combination, but you could use any vegetable you want. Broccoli goes especially well with cheese and bacon and potatoes for that matter!!
Today I used a nice strong white cheddar for my potato. I adore cheddar on a baked potato. You can use whatever cheese you wish. Comte is especially nice if you can get it.
I also chose to use blanched/steamed broccoli. Broccoli is really nice on a baked potato.
Note - don't skim on the cheese, especially if this is going to be your whole meal. You want to taste the cheese, which is also why you don't want to use a really bland and almost flavorless cheese.
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If you make sure your vegetables are crispy tender and not cooked to death this can be a real taste treat. I like my broccoli crispy tender and bright green.
Cauliflower would also be nice or a combination of both.
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I always have cooked bacon in the freezer. I tend to cook my bacon a pound at a time and then I freeze it so that I always have cooked bacon ready to drag out and use whenever I need a bit of bacon.
This was lovely on top of the broccoli and the cheese. It added a nice hint of smoky salty moreish meaty yumminess.
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Garnished with a dollop of lactose free (Gay Lea) sour cream and some minced scallions/spring onions, this made for a fabulously hearty and filling meal for myself. In fact I couldn't finish the whole thing.
I think its true that your appetite wanes as you get older. There was a day when I could have easily finished this and a steak besides! Having said that, this was just right!
Loaded Baked Potato
Yield: 1
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
These are simply delicious and I find them to be a meal in and of itself. You can multiply the amounts to bake and feed as many people as you wish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large russet potato, well scrubbed
- 1 strip of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp
- 1 tsp olive oil
- coarse sea salt
- 1/4 pound fresh broccoli, broken into florets and blanched
- 1/3 cup (1/5 oz/42g) grated strong cheddar cheese
To serve:
- sour cream
- finely chopped spring onion, or fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C.
- Prick your potato about six times with a fork, rub with oil and then rub with coarse salt. Place into the oven right on the center oven rack. Bake for about 1 hour, until the potato yields slightly to the touch.
- Leave the oven on. Let the potato cool slightly so that you can comfortably touch it.
- Cut the potato down the center, taking care not to cut all the way through. Make two perpendicular cuts near each end of the potato. This helps you to be able to open it up easier.
- Place the potato into a small baking dish and open it up. Top with half the cheese. Place the blanched broccoli on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the broccoli and then crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over top of the top layer of cheese.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes so that the cheese is well melted and everything is heated through.
- Serve with sour cream for spooning on top and chopped onion/chives to sprinkle on top.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
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One favorite thing that I became very fond of in the UK was Bakewell Tarts. They are a real British favorite teatime treat, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
You can get individual tarts such as I have baked here, slices, and full sized tarts.
The Bakewell Tart is a popular treat in the UK, name after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. It consists of a pastry case filled with a layer of jam, frangipane, and then topped with flaked almonds and/or a glacé icing and glacé cherry.
Bakewell Tart (s) are actually a variation on the original Bakewell Pudding, which was created in the town of Bakewell, which is in Derbyshire in the U.K.
It is said that Mrs. Greaves, who was the landlady of the White Horse Inn, left instructions to her cook to make a jam tart.
Instead of stirring the almond paste and eggs into the pastry as instructed, the cook spread the mixture on top of the tart. When cooked, it set like an egg custard. The resulting pudding proved to be very popular with visitors to the inn.
In later years, the egg custard was replaced with an Italian frangipane filling, composed of ground almonds, eggs, butter and sugar. The tart was often topped with flaked almonds and a glace cherry.
You will most often in the UK see the tarts in the shops topped with a glaze of almond flavored icing and a cherry.
These tarts which I am sharing with you today are a variation on all of that. They have a sweet jam filling and are topped with an almond frangipane, flaked almonds, an almond drizzle glaze and a glace cherry. And they are delicious!
Not only that, but they are very quick and easy to make, especially if you use frozen tart shells, which I did today.
You can of course make your pastry from scratch, but if you are in a hurry and want a treat fast the frozen tart shells are the way to go!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
Nothing outrageously out of the ordinary. Simple ingredients done really well.
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I used the Tenderflake brand of tart shells that I had in the freezer. I have used them before and they are excellent.
You will see that it also calls for sweetened condensed milk. Do not confuse this with evaporated milk. They are not the same thing at all.
One (evaporated) is simply milk which has been heat treated to have a lot of the water removed. The other (sweetened condensed) has been treated to have water removed but has also been cooked with sugar to make a sweet thick product that is excellent in desserts.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
I get my ground almonds from Costco. What you want is ground almonds that have not been ground with the skins.
I also get my flaked almonds from Costco. Again, they have no skins on them.
I opted to add the optional glaze and of course the glace cherry on top. Don't worry if you can't get glace cherries, you could use maraschino cherries that have been rinsed and dried really well if you want, or you can leave them off entirely.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
HOW TO MAKE EASY BAKEWELL TARTS
I like to prebake my tart shells for five minutes to set them. There are no soggy bottoms here!!! My sister and I will sometimes pick up tarts at the local Foodland shop and I have to tell you we are ALWAYS disappointed.
The bottoms are always soggy. It never fails. it is such a simple thing to just pre-bake your shells for five minutes. It really does prevent this from happening.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth. Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
Remove and allow to cool. Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing.
Flick this icing over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each. Leave until set to serve.
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
If you are a fan of Bakewell goods like I am then you may also be interested in my other Bakewell recipes on here. Every one of them delicious!
Bakewell Slices - very similar except they are baked in a tray bake tin and cut into fingers to serve. Fabulously tasty!
Bakewell Tart Muffins - almond flavored muffins with a lush jam filling, an icing glaze and a cherry on top! Delicious!
Bakewell Whoopie Pies - two almond flavored cake like cookies, sandwiched together with jam and then sweetly glazed and topped with flaked almonds. Simply wonderful!!!
I have to say I was never overly fond of the ones in the shops. Not enough filling and far too sweet. These delicious tarts are a perfect balance of sweetness and are very generously filled.
Quick and easy to make as well. They are a real favorite with me!
.JPG "Easy Bakewell Tarts")
The recipe does make 12 tarts. I am sharing them with my sister. My dad is coming to pick them up before he goes there for supper tonight. I am only keeping a few for myself.
These are fabulously tasty. I think you best prepare yourself to discover a new addiction! If you are a fan of jam tarts and of almonds, then you are going to be a real fan of these!! Enjoy!!
Easy Bakewell Tarts
Yield: 12
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 23 MinTotal time: 33 Min
An easy version of one of Great Britain's favorite Teatime treats! You can make your own pastry if you wish, but good ready made frozen tart shells work quite well and make baking these a breeze!
Ingredients
- 12 frozen tart shells, thawed
- 4 TBS strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup (170g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
- 1 cup + 3 TBS (100g) ground almonds
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 large free range egg
- 4 TBS flaked almonds to sprinkle
To finish (optional)
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- few drops almond extract and a bit of water
- 6 glace cherries, washed, dried and halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*C/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with some foil for ease of cleaning in case of any spill-overs.
- Whisk the condensed milk, almonds, egg and almond essence together until smooth.
- Place the thawed tart shells on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove.
- Spoon 1 tsp of jam in the bottom of each tart shell. Divide the almond mixture between the tarts, covering the jam in the bottom of each shell. Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to18 minutes until just starting to brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Whisk the icing sugar together with some almond extract and just enough water to make a thick drizzle icing. Flick this over top of of the tarts and place a cherry half on top of each.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I am a huge fan of having bread of some type for breakfast. I love pastries, coffee cakes, tea loaves, croissants, muffins, biscuits, etc. And there is no better time to enjoy them than for breakfast!
Prepare yourself to fall in love. This fabulous recipe for Buttermilk Biscuit Muffins combines two of my loves. Buttermilk biscuits and muffins. Say what???
Biscuits and Muffins, and by Biscuits I mean North American Biscuits, not British Biscuits which are not biscuits at all by the North American definition, but rather cookies. (Which they call biscuits. Confused yet?)
These Buttermilk Biscuit Muffins are fabulously tasty with a crusty, buttery exterior, and all of the best qualities of a biscuit, except they are baked in a muffin tin like a muffin.
That's right. Like a muffin. They are a beautiful cross between the two. They are an example of what you would get if a muffin married a biscuit and they had a baby together.
They go together like a biscuit in that you mix together the dry ingredients, cut in the fat and then stir in the wet. But from there on in, you proceed as if they were a muffin by dropping the dough into buttered muffin cups.
Simple baking cupboard ingredients. Nothing fancy here.
- 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 TBS plus 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cardamom or nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 TBS (145g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
- 1 TBS sugar for sprinkling on top
I chose to use cardamom in my muffins. I love the flavor of cardamom. Kind of peppery, but almost sweet at the same time.
Don't worry if you haven't got any buttermilk, you can very easily make a simple substitute which works like a charm.
You can add 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and whisk in the amount of whole milk needed to make a full measure. Leave it to stand for 5 to 10 minutes to clabber. Easy peasy.
Even easier is the second method. Whisk together equal amounts of full fat thick plain Green yogurt and full fat milk to equal the measure of buttermilk needed. (In this case 1 cup so you would need 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk.)
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK BISCUIT MUFFINS
As I said above these tasty muffins get mixed together like a biscuit, but spooned into muffin cups and baked like a muffin.
They are so much easier than biscuits. There is no kneading or patting out. No cutting, etc. Just mix and drop. Bam! Easy peasy!
Begin by preheating your oven to 350*F/ 180*C/ gas mark 4. You will need a 12 cup muffin tin. Butter it really well with butter.
I cut the recipe in half myself today and used my six cup ceramic muffin baker. Measurements for half the recipe would be:
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/8 cup (25g) sugar
- 1/2 TBS plus 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom or nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 TBS (73g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cold buttermilk
- 1/2 TBS sugar for sprinkling on top
Sift the flour, soda, baking powder and cardamom into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and sugar. Drop in the butter.
Cut the butter in using a pastry blender of two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs laced with small chunks of butter.
Pour in the buttermilk and mix to a soft damp claggy droppable dough. If you think it is too dry add a bit more buttermilk. Don't overmix.
Divide the dough between the prepared muffin cups, dropping an equal portion into each cup. Sprinkle some sugar on top of each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops and bottoms are golden brown and they are firm to the touch.
Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving. Cold butter and jam go awfully well with these.
You can freeze any leftover baked muffins in an airtight container for up to three months. To eat, remove as many as you wish to enjoy at any given time, and gently reheat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or you can leave to thaw completely and reheat in a gentle oven for a few minutes.
These are beautiful and have a lovely texture. I love the crisp buttery edges and the nobbly crisp craggy bits that you get on top. They are beautifully tasty spread with butter while warm and enjoyed with jam.
Many of you ask about my muffin baker. It is one I bought from The Bay last year. I believe it is an Anthropology brand muffin baker.
It has a vintage look, and is very pretty, but, aside from that and most importantly, it bakes beautiful muffins. I love it!
Buttermilk Biscuit Muffins
Yield: 12
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Buttery, crusty muffins that are delicious served warm with plenty of butter and jam. They are also great to use in fruit shortcake desserts. Prepare yourself to fall in love.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1 TBS plus 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cardamom or nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 TBS (145g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk
- 1 TBS sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 12 cup muffin tin really well, set aside.
- Sift the flour, soda, baking powder and cardamom into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and sugar. Drop in the butter.
- Cut the butter in using a pastry blender of two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs laced with small chunks of butter.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix to a soft damp claggy droppable dough. If you think it is too dry add a bit more buttermilk. Don't overmix.
- Divide the dough between the prepared muffin cups, dropping an equal portion into each cup.
- Sprinkle some sugar on top of each.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops and bottoms are golden brown and they are firm to the touch.
- Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Cold butter and jam go awfully well with these.
Little Cinnamon was awfully interested in these today. She is about half the size of Nutmeg and rarely gets involved. I could not help but take her photo as she tentatively gave the air above these delicious muffins a little sniff!!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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