Image Most of us enjoy jacket, however there’s no need to deprive yourself just because you don’t have an oven in the motorhome especially if you have a double skillet or even a microwave. I don’t have an oven or a microwave in our motorhome nevertheless I find a double skillet works just as well.
Jacket potatoes are great as a vegetable with your main meal, as your main meal with a small salad, or as a supper snack. Choose medium to large size potatoes, wash them thoroughly and remove any suspect areas and eyes. I then boil the potatoes for a few minutes before I put them in the skillet because it decreases the overall cooking time. While the potatoes are boiling, clip the two base pans together to form a cooking chamber and put them on a gas ring to heat up; turn the pans over so that both become nice and hot.
Once the potatoes have boiled for a few minutes, dry them, prick them with a fork and then rub a little salt into the skins (not essential but helps to crisp the jacket). Pop the potatoes into the prepared skillet and cook on the lowest heat possible for about an hour and a half depending on their size. Turn the skillet chamber over every ten or so minutes so that it remains hot on both sides and cooks the potatoes evenly. Check the potatoes with a fork to ensure they are cooked through.
If you don’t want too much work, fillings and toppings can just come from a tin, and there’s nothing better than baked beans in tomato sauce, or ratatouille. Pre-cooked kippers flaked and mixed with chopped boiled eggs, peas and a little cheese is a good wholesome filling. It’s easy to prepare some fillings at home, for example if you are cooking minced beef, prepare and cook a little extra, freeze it and take it with you when you next go out in the motorhome.
Your choice of fillings is endless but here are three of our favourites that can be prepared while the potatoes are cooking. The quantities are only a guide because I don’t carry scales in the motorhome.
 
Chilli filling – serves 4.
You will need 1 tbsp of oil, 1 small onion finely chopped, 340g lean minced beef, 1 tsp chilli powder, 140 ml stock (beef or vegetable cube will do fine), 200g can of red kidney beans, 4 tomatoes roughly chopped, 1tsp tomato puree. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the minced beef and onions, and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the chilli powder and cook for another minute before adding the stock, beans, tomatoes, and tomato puree. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes until the beef is cooked. Cut your jacket potatoes in half and pile the chilli on top.
 
Corned beef – serves 4
You will need 1 small onion finely chopped, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mixed dried herbs; 340g can of corned beef, 600ml of tomato puree. Fry the finely chopped onion until it’s soft but not caramelised, add the corned beef that you’ve cut into cubes and cook for two minutes or so before stirring in the herbs and tomato puree. When the potatoes are cooked, cut them in half and gently scoop out the centres in rough chunks. Add the potato to the corned beef mix and reheat if necessary. Pile it all back into the potato skins and serve with a little salad.

Tuna Mayonnaise - serves 2
This is one of the simplest toppings because it doesn’t require any cooking. I use a small tin of sweetcorn, a tin of tuna, ½ red pepper finely chopped, ½ tsp dried tarragon or your favourite herb, a little lemon juice, about 4 tbsp mayonnaise. Just mix everything together in a bowl and add it to the jacket potatoes that you have opened up. These potatoes are great served with a little salad. You can vary the tinned fish by using salmon, or herrings, and you can add finely chopped onion or chives - in fact you can add any flavour you prefer.

Pauline White « go back