Cooking: Bake Whole

Baked potatoes are an inexpensive and comforting meal that can be adapted to your kitchen contents. Rub the skins of big, floury potatoes with oil and salt and cut a cross in the top of each. Bake for an hour or so at 190–200°C/Gas 5 or 6), until cooked all the way through. Cut in half and either pile on your topping or scoop out some of the flesh and mix it with a filling then scoop back into the skin. Good fillings include Bolognese sauce, grated cheese and cooked greens, pesto and crème fraîche or that old standby, baked beans. See Baked Potatoes with Cheesy Kale filling.