The British “Jacket” Trick for Impossibly Creamy Baked Potatoes (I Can’t Stop Making Them)

I’m not someone who typically bakes potatoes at home, but I’ve had enough baked potatoes in my life to know that a special one is special. If a steakhouse does a baked potato right, I get the appeal. But I’ve had too many that are bland duds — with insides too dry, and forgettable skin you’re happy to leave on your plate. When I started at The Kitchn, these English jacket potatoes were a thing of legend. Team members swore by them and insisted I try the British technique before claiming baked potatoes just weren’t for me.

Get the recipe: English Jacket Potatoes

When I saw the baking time for English jacket potatoes, I was immediately turned off. Two hours! Who has that much foresight to know they’re going to want a baked potato, and be home to monitor the oven for so long? I was skeptical they were worth the effort. So skeptical that I put off making them for months. But I finally remembered them a few weeks ago when I needed a good side dish and I liked the idea of telling my friends, “This recipe went viral on The Kitchn! It’s an old-school British technique!” Felt like a fun party trick to have in my tool kit. 

Making the potatoes isn’t hard, and the method is very similar to what you’ve likely already done. But there are a few key differences.

• No poking holes allowed! Instead of pricking the potato like I learned to do when I was a kid, you make an X about 1/4” deep, which will help steam release and also make the insides more fluffy, which is what we’re after.
• You’re gonna bake the potatoes for TWO HOURS. If you’ve baked a potato before, it’s likely been in the hour range — that’s very standard. This method calls for baking the potato at a lower temp (400º versus 425º) for double the amount of time. This gets the skin super crispy (this is not baked potato skin you’re leaving untouched on your plate; it’s actually very good).
• Once the two hours are up, you bake them … again. I know this sounds extra after that extremely long bake time, but it’s only for 10 more minutes and helps lock in that highly sought-after fluffy texture. Use this time to get your butter and sour cream, set up a baked potato bar of toppings, or open a bottle of wine because you’re almost ready to eat.

Consider your baked potato effort time well-spent. These are next-level baked potatoes. They’re supremely crispy on the outside, wonderfully creamy on the inside, and will make you rethink the humble side dish as being nothing short of magical. It definitely earned my respect — and now I no longer need to be at a steakhouse to get a worthy spud.

Get the recipe: English Jacket Potatoes