Hot potato! How the classic jacket potato came back in from the cold

In November 2025, Kim Kardashian looked baffled when asked if she liked “jacket potatahs” by British personality Grime Gran. Her deer-in-headlights response of “what is that?” created a storm of memes, while social media was flooded with mouthwatering odes to the treat. But why the vocal defence of a food that for many years has been deemed a guilty-pleasure?

Changing attitudes

“Potatoes were shunned because there was this carb-fearing stage,” says accredited practising dietitian and cookbook author, Prue Mynard.

“Everyone cut carbs and focused on protein and fat. But with the recent rise in the knowledge of gut health and insulin sensitivity, they’re back. We’ve always known they’re a great source of fibre – especially a jacket potato – with about 50 per cent of fibre contained just under or within the skin,” she says.

“Cooking and cooling them changes the starch structure. The amount of resistant starch increases, which essentially feeds the good bacteria in the gut,” she says, adding, “they also become a lower GI food, so it’s not causing such a spike in blood sugar. You can pre-cook it in the microwave, let it cool, and pop it into the oven to crisp up.”

Skin-deep cook-ups

As the fresh dietary tick-of-approval catches on – with the caveat to be mindful of toppings – jacket potatoes are back on the menu.

“We get a lot of queries at our farmers’ markets for baked potatoes,” says Kerri Farrell of Victorian potato specialists, the Spud Sisters. Together with her sister, Catherine Ramage, the women are third-generation potato producers.

Their most frequently asked question is: how to create a crispy and chewy skin with a perfectly fluffy interior?

“It depends on the variety,” says Farrell. “A double-skin works best. Blue Moon or Royal Blue might be visible in the supermarket.”

She also suggests a Red Rascal, Desiree or a red potato with thicker skin. “When we have Otway Reds, they’ll fly out the door for whole baked potatoes.”

But Farrell assures us that any baked potato is better than none – and suggests wrapping thinner-skinned varieties in foil to protect them. Otherwise, simply dry the skin thoroughly, rub with olive oil and roast whole at 200-220C (about 70 minutes for a 400g potato) for an excellent result.

While the Spud Sisters note a rising interest from health-conscious younger generations, owner of Spudies food truck in Sydney’s Cabramatta, Hadi Chahine, sees nostalgia driving the interest.

“A lot of the 40-50(-year-old) generation are so happy to find us, and say they wish there were more jacket potatoes like they remember. They see my food truck and their eyes light up.”

Jacket potatoes are a perfect comfort in cash-strapped times.

Chanine uses the foil technique, opting for high-starch White Russet spuds.

“Each potato is wrapped in foil and pricked a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking,” says Chahine, adding that they’re “rubbed lightly with oil and coated with coarse salt” to create their signature crunchy “jacket”.

“Once cooked, cutting a cross on the top and gently squeezing the sides opens the potato and loosens the interior, so it can be fluffed with butter, salt and pepper to enhance the creamy texture,” says Chahine.

“This process produces a jacket potato with a crispy, seasoned outer skin and a light, fluffy inside that perfectly absorbs toppings.” Spudies’ toppings include beans and cheese, butter chicken or brisket.

If you’re short on time, Farrell – like Mynard – suggests starting your potato off in the microwave, but her biggest tip is for the oven.

“If you’ve got a really big potato, put a metal skewer all the way through, and that conducts heat right into the middle.”

Cost-of-living comfort

While fashions and dietary information shift, one thing is constant: “Potatoes are always fairly stable in price,” says Farrell, making them a perfect comfort in cash-strapped times.

“They last really well, so they’re very economical, if you store them properly,” which means a cool, dark and dry space, that’s not the fridge.

As the hobbit Samwise Gamgee proclaimed in the 2002 movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: “What we need is a few good taters.”

Jane’s jacket potatoes with cheesy fire corn topping

INGREDIENTS

For the perfect jacket potatoes

• 4 medium-large, thick-skinned potatoes (or 8 small potatoes)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 50g butter

Cheesy fire corn topping

• 50g butter
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced, green and white parts separated
• 2 x 400g tins corn kernels, drained
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ cup whole egg mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp barbecue sauce
• 1 cup grated cheese (a pizza-style blend works well)
• 4 radishes, finely sliced (optional)

METHOD

1. Pre-heat your oven to 220C fan-forced, and wash and thoroughly dry your potatoes to help the skin crisp up.
2. Rub each potato lightly with olive oil, place on a baking tray and bake until cooked through. A 400g medium potato will take about 70 minutes, while smaller ones will take slightly less time. Turn the potatoes after about 40 minutes to avoid sticking, and sprinkle with a little salt.
3. Once the potatoes are cooked, allow them to cool enough to handle, then cut a cross on the top and pinch the potato together to open it up. Fluff up the interior with a fork and add a small knob of butter and some salt and pepper to each, and allow it to rest while you prepare the filling.

4. Meanwhile, for the cheesy fire corn topping, heat a frypan over medium heat, add the butter and white part of the spring onions, and cook until just softening. Toss in the corn, spices, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Add half the grated cheese and stir through until melted.
5. Divide the cheesy fire corn topping between the opened potatoes. Scatter with the remaining cheese and place under the grill for a few minutes to melt the topping.
6. Serve scattered with the reserved spring onion and slices of fresh radish, if using.

Serves 4

Note: If you are using thinner-skinned potatoes, rub them with oil and wrap them in baking paper and foil before baking, this will protect the skins and stop them drying out.