Top tips for perfect baked potatoes
Good spuds

The classic jacket

Loaded potato skins

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.
Moroccan sweet potatoes

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.
Minced lamb with grilled manchego cheese

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.
Stuffed baked sweet potatoes with broccoli, Swiss chard and hummus

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
Rosemary, butter and salt

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.
Sweet potatoes with spicy sausage

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.
Weekend brunch baked potato

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.
Pulled pork with cheese and barbecue sauce

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

Twice-baked potatoes

Bake an egg inside

Potato canapés

Baked potato soup

Baked potato crisps

Sweet potatoes with crispy kale

Brunch sweet potatoes

Baked potatoes with homemade baked beans

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.
Broccoli, chicken and cheese

Feta and spring onion stuffed potato skins

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
Baked sweet potato with guacamole

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.
Baked potatoes with chilli con carne

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.
Baked potato tuna melt

Baked potatoes with a feta salad

Turkish kumpir

Smoked salmon and cream cheese

Double cheese baked potato

Baked sweet potatoes with spicy lentils

Hasselback potatoes with peri peri dressing and feta

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
The leftovers baked potato

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
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