Name: Bolognese Jacket Potato
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 4 baking potatoes; 2 tbsp olive oil; pinch salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; ½ onion (grated); 1 carrot (grated); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tsp dried oregano; 500 g lean beef mince (ground beef); 2 tbsp tomato puree; 150 ml red wine; 800 g canned chopped tomatoes; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (gluten free, if required); 4 tbsp whole milk; pinch salt and black pepper

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Leave the pasta in the cupboard and make a bolognese jacket potato dinner! It's a rich, meaty, bolognese, served on a perfectly fluffy potato with a crisp skin.

a jacket potato cut in half topped with Bolognese sauce on a white plate with ingredients in the background.

I know a lot of us like to use the microwave when making a jacket potato but it really doesn't come close to the taste of potatoes baked properly in the oven with a little oil and salt for that perfect jacket!

In this recipe, you'll put the potatoes in the oven for an hour and towards the end of the baking time, you'll come back and make this stunning bolognese, which is based on a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

an overhead view of a large casserole dish with bolognese sauce surrounded by ingredients.

It's a clever recipe as it has you grated the onion and carrot for the base, meaning the veggies sweat down really quickly with the garlic and herbs. You'll then add mince and lightly brown before adding tomatoes, tomato puree and a touch of Worcestershire sauce.

Once it's simmered and reduced, you'll add (Italians look away) a touch of milk to make it silky and gorgeous and then spoon the bolognese over your jacket potatoes.

It's so tasty and so filling! Here's the full recipe for my bolognese jacket potato.

Ingredients

For the jacket potatoes

4 baking potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt

For the bolognese

1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion grated
1 carrot grated
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp dried oregano
500 g (18 oz) lean beef mince (ground beef)
2 tbsp tomato puree
150 ml (½ cup + 2 tbsp) red wine
800 g (28 oz) canned chopped tomatoes
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce gluten free, if required
4 tbsp whole milk
pinch salt and black pepper

Equipment

Instructions

Prepare the jacket potatoes

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan, 390F).

Wash your potatoes and skewer through them several times to allow steam to escape and to ensure even cooking.

an overhead view of 4 large raw jacket potatos on a silver baking tray

Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for 1 hour until crisp and delicious.

an overhead view of 4 large cooked jacket potatos on a silver baking tray

Make the bolognese

About 15 minutes before the potatoes are baked, you can start your bolognese.

Put the olive oil in a large non-stick pan and warm over medium heat.

oil in a large white frying pan surrounded by ingredients.

Add the carrot, onion, garlic, oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper.

oil, carrot, onion, garlic, oregano in a large white frying pan.

Sweat until soft. This should only take a couple of minutes as the veggies are grated.

cooked oil, carrot, onion, garlic, oregano in a large white frying pan.

Push the sweated vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the mince.

cooked carrot and onion mix in a large white frying pan topped with raw beef mince.

Fry for a couple more minutes, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks until just browned.

Add the tomato puree.

cooked carrot, onion and beef mince mix in a large white frying pan pushed to the edges with a dollop of tomato puree in the middle.

Sir through.

cooked carrot, onion and beef mince mix in a large white frying pan.

Add the red wine.

cooked carrot, onion and beef mince mix in a large white frying pan topped with red wine.

Allow it to bubble for 2 minutes and turn syrupy.

cooked bolognese sauce in a frying pan surrounded by ingredients.

Next, add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce.

cooked bolognese sauce topped with tomatoes in a frying pan surrounded by ingredients.

Give everything a good stir.

Bring up to a simmer for about 5 minute until the bolognese thickens and darkens.

Finally, add the milk.

cooked bolognese sauce in a frying pan topped with milk surrounded by ingredients

Stir through, then season to taste.

Serve

When your jacket potatoes are baked, push a skewer into the centre of each to ensure they are soft all the way through, then transfer to plates.

Cut a cross into each one and top generously with the bolognese.

a cooked jacket potato cut in half topped with bolognese sauce on a white plate.

Serve with grated cheese as an optional extra.

a cooked jacket potato cut in half topped with bolognese sauce and grated cheese on a white plate.

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5 from 2 votes

Bolognese Jacket Potato

Leave the pasta in the cupboard and make a bolognese jacket potato dinner! It's a rich, meaty, bolognese, served on a perfectly fluffy potato with a crisp skin.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Potato-based mains

Cuisine: British, Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: 4 potatoes

Author: Emily Leary