The Lasagne-Style Jacket Potato: A Viral Creation
Cooking influencer Anthea Malialis, widely known as the Jacket Potato Queen, has taken social media by storm with her latest creation: a lasagne-style jacket potato. Combining the comforting flavors of lasagne with the humble baked potato, this dish has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers on her handle @superhomecook. “A delicious jacket potato loaded with rich bolognese sauce, creamy béchamel and melted cheese – all the flavours of lasagne in a crispy potato!” she says.
Anthea’s recipe is designed for two people and uses simple, affordable ingredients. The potato itself is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamin C and potassium, and the dish offers a hearty meal that can be prepared in under an hour.
Ingredients and Method
To make this dish, you will need two large baking potatoes, olive oil, sea salt, beef mince (or a pork and beef mix), onion, garlic, red wine, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, a chicken stock cube, dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaves, parsley, butter, and for the béchamel: butter, plain flour, milk, and a mix of mozzarella, Cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses.
The method begins by preheating the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) or gas mark six. Pierce the potatoes, brush with oil, season with salt, wrap in foil, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes to crisp the skin. Meanwhile, brown the mince, then add onion and garlic, cook for five minutes, add wine, then stir in tomatoes, purée, stock cube, herbs, and simmer for 20 minutes. For the béchamel, melt butter, stir in flour, gradually add milk and a bay leaf, simmer until thick, then stir in half the cheese. Assemble by fluffing the potatoes with butter, layering bolognese, then béchamel, top with remaining cheese, and bake for five minutes until golden.
Batch-Cooking Tips
Anthea suggests saving time by batch-cooking the toppings. Double the quantity of bolognese and béchamel and freeze the extra portions. This makes the dish even quicker to prepare on busy days, as the potato can be baked fresh while the toppings are reheated.
Book Offers and More
Anthea Malialis is the author of Super Home Cook, which is currently available with a 21% discount at World of Books for £17.49. The book is packed with simple, crowd-pleasing recipes. Other recommended cookbooks include Jamie Oliver’s 20 Minute Meals (half price at Waterstones, £15), Eloise Head’s Fitwaffle's Easy 6 (45% off on Amazon, £12), and Suzanne Mulholland’s The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget (62% off at Books4People, £8.45). Prices correct at time of publication.
