Forget Sour Cream. Try The British Way To Deliciously Top A Baked Potato

Baked potatoes are perhaps the most straightforward style of spud preparation. Simply pierce the skin to let out steam, wrap in foil, and bake on a sheet until perfectly steamed and fluffy on the inside. The traditional toppings for this dish are even simpler: a scoop of sour cream, bacon, chives, and cheddar. Well, these are the typical toppings for an American baked potato — and they're great! The cool, creamy sour cream and bright green punch of chives pairs perfectly with a hot potato and melted cheese. With sprinkle of salty bacon is the cherry on top, so to speak. This flavor combination is iconic. However, it isn't the end all, be all of baked potatoes. In fact, there are many ways to upgrade your spud. Perhaps the best inspiration for your next baked potato comes from right across the pond. That's right, we're talking about the quintessentially English comfort food: jacket potatoes.

While Americans tend to reach for sour cream, British jacket potatoes feature a wider array of topping combinations — the most popular of which is butter, cheese, and Heinz beans (which are made with a savory tomato sauce, unlike the American take on baked beans, which are sweet). This combination may seem odd to the American palate, but trust us, you'll want to give this combo a chance. The mix of fluffy potatoes, rich butter, melty cheese, and savory beans is the quintessential rainy day comfort food.

Now, don't just think you can use any old beans for your jacket potato. When it comes to this dish, the specifics really do matter. The best beans to use for this dish are Heinz-brand baked beans in tomato sauce. These beans are more commonly found in the United Kingdom, but they are available in some grocery stores or online in the United States. If you're hoping to replicate this dish at home, make sure you pick the right bean. You'll also want to pick a good, quality butter, and don't shy away from it. This is comfort food, remember? So feel free to use a knob (yes, a knob) of good butter. Cheddar cheese is one of the more common cheese choices. This will go atop your spud, before you add your beans for maximum melt.

There are a few other toppings to keep in mind if you want a true jacket potato experience, as well. Tuna salad is a popular jacket potato filling in the U.K., and it is often paired with beans and cheese. This combo certainly isn't for everyone, but if you're a tuna salad fan, you might want to give it a shot (bonus points if you add a bit of fresh dill to boot). Other popular toppings include curried chicken, peas, sausage, and gravy. Really, the sky is the limit. So feel free to get maximalist with it, and take inspiration from other British dishes if you so please.

If you want a true to form jacket potato experience, you'll need more than just the right toppings. Though jacket potatoes and baked potatoes are quite similar, there are some differences to keep in mind, including the type of spud used in both recipes. While there are plenty of potato types to choose from, Americans often use russet potatoes, which are quite starchy. A more popular choice in the U.K. is the King Edward potato; like the russet, it's a starchy potato. However, you might be hard-pressed to find a King Edward potato in the United States, so feel free to use russets if they're all you have on hand. More important than the potato choice is the preparation.

Jacket potatoes are usually cooked for longer periods of time (between one to two hours) in order to create an extra crispy skin and super fluffy interior. Jacket spuds also have an extra step in the prep process, and are cut in the shape of an X in order to release steam to create a soft, light interior that makes it the perfect base for toppings. Whether you want to explore the toppings of jacket potatoes or just stick to the sour cream, this cooking method is definitely worth trying if you really want that tuber to shine. Seriously, the combination of crispy potato skin and fluffy, soft flesh will make you want to curl up with a jacket potato every day of the week.