Twice-baked jacket potatoes

This little lunch I made for me and my poorly daughter the other day. She has been off preschool all week with a horrid virus that brought her out in awful sore spots, so I wanted to make something nice for her. She left most of it, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!

It’s reminiscent of the very first thing I ever cooked. It was in a primary school home economics lesson, we scooped out the filling of a jacket potato, mashed cheese with it, and put it back to bake. This is that, but with bells on. It’s very tasty, good cold too if you have leftovers.

If you don’t have basil then use dried oregano or leave the herbs out. Replace spring onions with half a normal onion if you don’t have those in.

Serves: 2 adults for lunch (or equivalent)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes 
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes (do the prep whilst the jackets are baking)

Ingredients:
2 large jacket potatoes
Handful of basil, roughly chopped
4 spring onions, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 
2. Microwave the jackets, pricked with metal skewers, for 5 minutes to get them going, or else they take ages in the oven. 
3. Bake them for about an hour. As long as they are cooked through, they’re good – it depends on how large they are. 
4. Fry the sliced spring onion in a little oil over a low heat to soften, for about 5 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, mix the mayo, dijon, basil – add the spring onions when ready. When the jackets are ready, slice them in two, and carefully scoop out the potato. Mash roughly with the other ingredients. 
6. Place the filling back into the shells. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. 
7. Serve with some salad or as a side for sausages.