Comfort food doesn't get much better than a baked potato. Simple, straightforward and versatile, there are lots of ideas and recipes to make them real crowd-pleasers. From healthy to indulgent, you're sure to find a new combination here. Be inspired by our top tips.

What we all love in a baked potato is the crisp skin and the soft, fluffy centre. Pierce the skin all over with a fork, rub with oil and sea salt, then bake in a hot oven for around 1 to 1.5 hours. You can speed up the process by microwaving them on high to begin with (3 average potatoes for 8 minutes), then put them in the oven for 45 minutes to crisp up.

Bake some potatoes, allow to cool, then cut them into segments. Remove the flesh, leaving some as a base, and top with a veggie bean chilli and grated cheese. Grill until the cheese has melted and the skins are crisp. Top with sour cream and chopped chives for a moreish dish which can either serve as a starter or a snack.

Get the recipe for vegetarian chilli here

These baked sweet potatoes are topped with spiced lentils, infused with ginger, garlic, cumin and harissa – a fiery North African paste. To save time, use a can of lentils, which you just need to drain and rinse. They are served with a lemon tahini dressing. It's a great vegan main course choice.

Get the recipe for Moroccan sweet potatoes here

This spicy lamb ragù is used in the recipe as a topping for baked aubergines, but it would be great on halved baked potatoes, too. With a hint of chilli and Spanish smoked paprika, the melted cheese makes the dish warm and comforting. The recipe uses manchego, but a strong Cheddar would be fine. 

Get the recipe for lamb ragù here

For a healthy vegan meal, this recipe will really hit the spot. The sweet potato is baked, then lightly mashed in its skin. You then stir-fry broccoli and Swiss chard (use spinach, if you can't find chard) in olive oil and ginger and add to the potato. Top with hummus, lime and a drizzle of hot sauce. 

Get the recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes with broccoli, Swiss chard and hummus here

For a different side dish, halve baked potatoes, rough up the surface with a fork, then add lots of butter, sea salt and chopped fresh rosemary. Return to a hot oven until the surface is browned and crisp.

The cooked sweet potato flesh is mashed with fried sausage, onions, Cheddar and fresh coriander. It's then piled back into the crisp skin,  when you add an egg and return it to the oven to set. Think of it as a breakfast-meets-dinner dish, though it's perfect at any time of day.

Get the recipe for sweet potatoes with spicy sausage here

Baked potatoes aren't just for dinner – they make a tasty brunch even better by serving a loaded cheesy potato. Once baked, remove the flesh. Mash with cheese and butter, then spoon it back into the skin. Top with crisp bacon and a fried egg, and serve with a side salad or fried mushrooms or tomatoes. 

Find more brunch recipes here

Pulled pork, topped with melted cheese and barbecue sauce, makes an exceptional filling for a baked spud. It's worth having a bash at making your own pulled pork, as it's easy to prepare, with minimal hands-on time. You just need to allow time for it to marinate before cooking it very slowly. 

Get the recipe for pulled pork here

 

Hasselback baked potatoes are relatively easy to make, look impressive and taste amazing. Cut a series of small vertical slits three-quarters of the way through each potato – take care not to cut right through. Brush with oil or melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 200°C (400°F). Brush regularly with oil or butter during baking, to ensure a super crisp potato.

If you love crunchy skin and soft flesh in your spud, then you’ll be partial to twice-baked potatoes. After around an hour of baking, when the flesh is soft enough to scoop out, split the potatoes in half. Mix the flesh with grated cheese then return to the oven for 30 minutes. Top with sour cream and chives and crisp, chopped bacon.

Hollowed-out baked sweet or white potatoes are the perfect vessels to hold eggs. Around 15 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the potatoes from the oven, then halve and scoop out some of the flesh. Crack an egg inside, top with half a cherry tomato and bake for the remaining 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and spring onions.

Looking for something more bite-sized? Rub baby potatoes in oil and salt, then bake them in their skins at 220°C (430°F) until tender, around 50 minutes. Cut a cross in each one, then gently press around the sides to open up each potato. Fill with a blue cheese and yogurt or sour cream topping, and decorate with fresh parsley or chives.

A tasty way to use up leftover baked potatoes is to make soup. Fry chopped onion, dice the cold potatoes (out of the skins) into bite-sized chunks, and add to the pan. Season and fry for another 5 minutes. Next, add vegetable stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 30 minutes. You can then blend the soup until smooth or, for a more rustic consistency, blend briefly so there are still chunks of potato left. Top with fried bacon, spring onions and grated Cheddar.

If you've used the leftover potato flesh to make a warming soup, don't ditch the skins. Cut into wedges, brush with oil and salt, and perhaps some smoked paprika, then put into a very hot oven for 15 minutes or until crisp. They make a great dipper for hummus, guacamole or a tomato salsa.

Bake medium sweet potatoes (rubbed with oil) at 180°C (350°F) for around 45 minutes. While they’re baking, remove the stalks from washed and dried kale, tear the leaves, toss with olive oil and salt. Around 10 minutes before the end of cooking, put the kale on a baking tray in the oven to crisp up. Cut the potatoes in half, mash the flesh with butter or olive oil, and top with crumbled feta, some toasted walnuts and the crispy kale.

Sweet potatoes make a great brunch idea. Here, the baked spuds are finished with creamy scrambled egg, fresh tomato, spring onion and a sprinkling of cheese – Cheddar, Brie or feta would be good. Then just flash under the grill to melt the cheese for a minute or so. It's another dish which doubles up as a winning supper.

Opening a can of baked beans for a jacket potato is a real go-to supper, when time or fresh ingredients are short. Have a go at making your own, which take an hour to cook, but can be frozen or kept in the fridge for three days. Homemade are more smoky than canned, and have much more depth of flavour.

Get the recipe for homemade baked beans here

If you're looking for a lighter option and a good use for leftover chicken, just add a touch of olive oil to the potato flesh, then top with the chicken and some steamed greens, such as broccoli. Add a little grated Parmesan or a spoonful of low-fat cream cheese.

These cheesy stuffed potatoes are a meal on their own – just add a green salad to serve. The baked flesh is mixed with feta cheese, tarragon, garlic, nigella seeds and spring onions, then baked again to melt the cheese so it's all piping hot.

Get the recipe for feta and spring onion stuffed potato skins here

Homemade guacamole makes a perfect topping for a baked sweet potato. Rub the potatoes with oil and pierce the skins. Then bake for around 45 minutes in a hot oven for a medium-sized potato. Split open then add the guacamole and some salad leaves – no butter or oil required.

Get the recipe for guacamole here

A great chilli con carne is a standby dish for so many households, and it makes a tasty filling for baked potatoes. You can batch cook a large quantity of chilli, then portion it up for the freezer, so you always have some to hand. Split open the potatoes in a cross, pile in the chilli, then top with grated cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Get the recipe for chilli con carne here 

That tuna melt sandwich we all love so much? It makes a perfect filling for a jacket potato. Mix tuna with mayo, a squeeze of lemon, chopped capers and gherkins, then add a pinch of cayenne or paprika. Fill the potato with the tuna mix, then top with grated cheese and return to a hot oven, until the cheese has melted.

For a lighter option, try this idea. Mix together chopped sun-dried tomatoes, sliced peppers, toasted walnuts and some leaves, such as rocket or watercress. Lightly dress with olive oil and vinegar, put on the potato, then crumble over some feta cheese. Season well. This could be a light lunch on its own, or as a side with grilled meat or fish.

This Turkish loaded baked potato, a typical street food dish, will keep you going all day. Mix the flesh with butter and mozzarella cheese, then top with a range of ingredients, typically pickled chillies, hot dog slices, pickled red cabbage, olives and sweetcorn. Then it's drizzled with hot sauce and mayonnaise.

A favourite bagel filling makes a perfect topping for a baked potato. If you're counting calories, mix some cottage cheese with a little Greek yogurt and season well, adding chopped fresh dill or chives. Or just go the whole way with cream cheese instead. Smoked trout is a good, and less expensive option to smoked salmon. Just grind over black pepper and add a squeeze of lemon to serve.

Definitely one for the cheese-lovers. Bake a potato then scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Mash, then add butter, grated Cheddar, crisp bacon lardons and chopped spring onions. Season well and return to the skins. Add a top layer of grated cheese, then pop them under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

For a really good veggie filling, dice an onion and cook in oil until soft. Add a crushed garlic clove, a teaspoon each of chilli powder, cumin and paprika. Now add a diced yellow pepper, a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of drained, rinsed lentils. Cook for about 20 minutes until thickened, then fill baked sweet potatoes. Add some sour cream mixed with chilli paste, then scatter over chopped coriander to serve.

It's worth making your own peri peri sauce for this fab veggie dish. You can even use a jar of roasted peppers to save time, then all the ingredients are simply whizzed up in a blender, to drizzle over baked hasselback potatoes and feta cheese. Served with an easy black bean salsa, it's a recipe you'll come back to again and again.

Get the recipe for hasselback potatoes with peri peri dressing and feta here

Baked potatoes, whether white or sweet, are the perfect vehicle for a fridge use-up. Grate or crumble all those bits of cheese you have, mix with chopped ham or chicken. Combine it with the cooked, scooped-out potato flesh. Add some spring onions or herbs, a little butter, then bake until it's all melted and bubbling. 

Big potato fan? Be further inspired by these moreish mashed potato ideas