Now THAT'S what I call a Baked Potato!

It's no secret.  I love, LOVE potatoes.  Low carb doesn't work for me.  I cannot live without potatoes.  It's as simple as that.  They are my favourite vegetable.   I love them any way I can get them . . . boiled, mashed, steamed, fried . . . but my favourite of all is BAKED!  I just adore baked, or jacket potatoes as they are sometimes called.  In fact my very first meal here in the UK back in 2000 was a jacket potato topped with cheese at a little cafe in Euston station whilst we were waiting to catch our train up here to Chester.  

So as you can imagine I was thrilled when the Bannisters' Farm people asked me if I would like to try some of their frozen potato products.  I am no stranger to the 4 ready baked potatoes packet.  I've been buying them regularly since I first spied them in the shops a couple of years ago.  I just adore them.   You can have one baked and on the table in 6 minutes, which is pretty handy, but if you are like me, you wil love, LOVE them baked in the oven until the skin gets all crispy (the skin is the best part of a baked potato in my opinion).

From their page:

 4 Ready Baked Potatoes

Cross cut and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil

A perfectly baked potato which can be taken out of the freezer and microwaved in a few minutes to give that deliciously traditional baked potato taste.
Our Baked Potatoes are the perfect staple for your freezer – fabulous for a meal for one with some beans, some chilli left over from entertaining friends at the weekend or as an accompaniment to a good old roast chicken and some steamed vegetables to ensure that your family have had a great hearty meal, rich in fibre, low in fat and highly nutritious.

• Traditionally Oven baked
• No nasties added
• Gluten Free
• No added Salt
• Suitable for vegetarians

You can have them on the table in six minutes if you use the microwave and 35 if you use the oven.

 

Fresh out of the oven . . . looking so tasty.  I can't wait to dig my fork in . . . .



Just perfect.  Nice and fluffy inside.   Nice and crisp on the outside.  To me that is the perfect canvas.   One that you can paint on with whatever your little heart desires.    Baked beans . . . cheese . . . baked beans and cheese . . . tuna mayonnaise . . . chili con carne,  curry chicken . . . I can't think of anything savoury that would not go on a baked potato.   Heck, even just sour cream, chopped chives and a bit of salt and pepper is fab . . . add crumbled bacon and I am in heaven!



The other day I had some leftover baked ham and so I used my mom's barbeque sauce recipe, added a tin of pineapple chunks and we had that ladled over the potatoes . . .

 

A bit of grated cheddar and it was just gorgeous . . . fluffy potatoes, crisp skins . . . salty ham . . .



that tangy spicy sauce, with a hint of sweet from the pineapple . . . that gooey rich cheese, melting down into all of that tastiness . . .

What's not to love about that????   (This sauce recipe is one of THE many recipes included in my Recipes to Keep Cookbooklet.  Check it out under the Cookbooklets heading above.)

 

*Mom's Barbeque Sauce*

makes about 3 cups

Printable Recipe    

This is the barbeque sauce my mom has always made.  We always loved it when she would cut up leftover ham into cubes and then bake them in this sauce in the oven.   We would have it with rice and it was really, really good.  You can also add a tin of pineapple chunks, replacing some of the water in the sauce with the juice from the pineapple  That's really good too!  If you do the ham thing, it's really tasty spooned onto a baked potato.  Hot dogs are good in this as well, ,chicke, pork.  It's good with most things! 

225ml tomato ketchup (1 cup)
450ml water (2 cups)
(I used less than that most times, about 1 1/2 cups)
60ml cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
60ml Worcestershire sauce (1/4 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar
(1/4 cup packed)
(I like a bit more than this.  taste and adjust as desired)
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp salt few drops Tabasco sauce
Mom's notes:  I add some soy sauce, chopped or minced onion, chopped celery and a bit of oregano 

 

Basically you just mix together all of the ingredients and pour them over some spareribs, chicken, ham, or whatever in a casserole with a lid, cover tighty and bake in a slow oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  (160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3)


They also sent me a package of their Littl'uns, same as the bigger ones, except smaller, just right for pint sized appetites.  Only 88 calories a piece, they're great for when you want just a taste of potato and don't want to go whole hog!  Or for those wee ones in the house who aren't quite up to eating a large baked potato.   Just perfect in only 3 minutes in the microwave.



Also included were these tasty Potato Skins, baked and filled with Cheese and Jalapeno

From their page:

Our baked potato skins are best cooked in the oven. But if you can't wait for 20 minutes, then you can use your microwave instead. They'll be a little less crispy, but still equally tasty. These are simply fantastic cooked on your barbeque too, particularly as a starter while your friends wait for the rest to cook! 

I confess I am no stranger to these either.  LLLLLUVERLY.  Not too spicy.  Just right.

To find out more about the Banister's Farm potato products check out their page.

Follow them on Facebook
Check out their tasty recipes. 

The Bannister's Farm potatoe products are available at most of the main supermarkets here in the UK.. 

In all honesty, I feel they are superior to the other frozen ones on offer in the shops.  Seriously.  Two thumbs up from the Rayner Family.  Closest to homemade you can find, in a fraction of the time that it would take to do from scratch.  Many thanks for sending me these to review.

Note - Although I was sent products free of charge to try out, my opinions are honest and my own.