Jacket Potatoes Filled With Garlic and Herbs

The nicest thing about jacket potatoes is its crisp, crunchy skins and fluffy, floury insides with some lovely filling melted into them! As an accompaniment, one half of the potato will be sufficient per person, or 1 potato per person if serving as a supper dish with a salad. Please note, you will have to serve them immediately because, after you remove jacket potatoes from the oven, they lose their crispness very quickly, so don't let them hang around for too long.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

• 3  large  desiree potatoes (225-275g each) or 3  large  king edward potatoes (225-275g each)
•  olive oil
•  rock salt, crushed

• For the filling

• 150  g cottage cheese or 150  g cream cheese
• 25  g butter
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives
• 50  g  grated cheddar cheese
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 5/375F/190°C.
2. Wash the potatoes and dry them very thoroughly with a cloth, then leave them aside to dry as much as possible.
3. Next, prick the skins a few times all over with a fork, then put a few drops of olive oil over each one and rub it all over the skin followed by some crushed salt.
4. Place the potatoes on to the centre shelf of the oven and let them bake for 1¾-2 hours, or until the skins are really crisp.
5. Meanwhile, pre-heat the grill.
6. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven, protect your hands with a cloth, slice them in half then scoop out the cooked potatoes into a bowl (careful not to tear the skin).
7. Then combine the potato with the cottage cheese or cream cheese, butter, garlic and herbs and season with salt and pepper.
8. Pile the mixture back into the potato shells, sprinkle each half with the grated cheddar and pop them under the grill until they are brown and bubbling.