Jono & Jules do food & wine

This is a delicious veggie dinner and no hassle at all to put together. We might twice bake a lot more of our baked potatoes from now on!

Twice baked potatoes – to serve 4

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 40g butter
• 180ml soured cream or crème fraîche
• 120g mature Cheddar, grated
• 2-3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Heat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6. Put the potatoes on a baking tray and cook for about an hour or until they are tender. Take them out of the oven but leave the oven on.

When the potatoes are cool enough handle, slice them in half lengthways and scoop the insides out into a bowl, leave a shell about ½ a cm thick. Put the shells back in the oven to crisp up while you make the filling (but don’t leave them any longer than 10 minutes).

Mash the potato with the butter, then stir in the cream or crème fraîche, Cheddar and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper (we like freshly ground white pepper for potatoes). Spoon the potato back into the shells and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and golden. Cool for a minute before you serve them. Some greens on the side go well.

Wine Suggestion: Our initial thought was a Chardonnay to complement the creamy textures and rich flavour of this dish. As there was no Chardonnay in the fridge we went for an Australian Riesling (Mount Horricks Watervale Riesling 09) and this also did the trick. We’d stick to a white for this one.

(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)