Cheesy Beans Jacket Potato with a Twist

Introduction:

The nation’s favourite, the cheesy beans jacket potato remains a family favourite, store cupboard classic, and a comfort food like no other. Now, we’re certainly not going to rip up the rule book on this fantastic partnership of foods, however, if there is something we’ve learnt whilst experimenting with potato recipes it is to do just that… experiment.

Why not take a look at some of our favourites and have a go at trying your own version of the cheesy beans jacket…

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Rudolph or Baking Potatoes
• Drizzle of Olive Oil (or Oil Spray)
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 100 g Grated Welsh Mature Cheddar Cheese
• 800 g Baked Beans
• Caramelised Onion & Bacon (optional)
• Chipotle Sauce & Crumbled Chorizo (optional)
• Pineapple & Ham (optional)
• Sausage, Onion & Green Pepper (optional)
• BBQ Sauce, Paprika, Brown Sugar, White Wine Vinegar (optional)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
2. Using a fork, prick the potatoes all over before transferring onto a baking tray. Drizzle a small amount of oil over each potato, or spray with a small amount of oil spray. Sprinkle salt on top sparingly and pop the tray into the oven. Cook for 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
3. About 10 minutes before your potatoes have finished cooking prepare your beans.
4. CARAMELISED ONION & BACON: Dice a red onion and add to a small amount of oil in a small saucepan. Sweat the onion on a medium heat for 10 minutes, until it starts to brown. Whilst the onion is cooking, chop 6 rashers of bacon into small squares and add then to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until the bacon is sizzling cooked through. Add your two tins of baked beans to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes until piping hot.
5. CHIPOTLE SAUCE & CRUMBLED CHORIZO: On a chopping board, use a knife to dice (or crumble using your fingertips) 100g of chorizo. Heat a small saucepan on a medium temperature and, once hot, add the chorizo to the pan, reducing the heat to a low temperature immediately to allow the chorizo to caramelise and release it’s oils. After 5 minutes, add your two tins of baked beans. Bring the heat to a medium temperature once more and cook the beans for 5 minutes, stirring as needed. Add the chipotle sauce to your taste and continue to cook until piping hot.
6. PINEAPPLE & HAM: The classic Hawaiian. Empty your two tins of beans into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Whilst the beans are cooking, chop 200g of ham into cubes. Thick cut butchers ham or gammon ham works better here, but you can always use sandwich ham if you have that already in the fridge. Add the ham to the beans and continue to cook. Whilst the bean mix continues to cook, drain a small tin of pineapple chunks and add the drained pineapple directly to the beans mix. Stir the mix and continue to cook until the beans are cooked throughout. Add a large pinch of black pepper to the beans before serving.
7. SAUSAGE, ONION & GREEN PEPPER: Dice one large red onion. Add a drizzle of oil to a small saucepan and bring to a low heat. Add the diced red onion to the oil and stir. Using a pair of scissors, chop the sausages into 1cm chunks directly into the saucepan with the onion. Make sure you wash both the scissors and your hands thoroughly with hot water at this point. Stir the mix and bring to a medium heat. Whilst the sausage mixture is cooking, diced one large green pepper into small chunks, remembering to remove all of the seeds, and add to the sausage mix. Cook over a medium heat until the sausage is cooked through. Add your two tins of beans and continue to cook until the beans are piping hot.
8. BBQ SAUCE, PAPRIKA, GARLIC SALT, WORCESTER SAUCE: Add your two tins of beans to a small saucepan and bring to a medium heat. Add 2 tbsp BBQ Sauce, 2 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Garlic Salt and a dash of Worcester Sauce to the mixture. Stir the mixture through and continue to cook until piping hot. You can even bake this mixture: cook through diced onion and bacon before adding your baked beans and other ingredients, then pop the mixture into a casserole dish, cover and cook for 50 minutes.
9. Carefully remove your jacket potatoes from the oven. Place on a plate and spoon the beans on top, followed by a good handful of your chosen grated cheese… for your cheesy beans jacket goodness! Serve immediately.

Top Tip

Did you know you can bake your jacket potatoes in a bonfire or on a BBQ? Wrap your spuds in tin foil before popping in a bonfire (carefully), or adding to the top of a BBQ grill and leave to cook for 50 minutes. You can even serve your potatoes in their tin foil wrappers, simply open from the top (watching out for the steam that will escape) and fill them with your toppings!