Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts. Tom Bowles Parker

BAKED JACKET POTATOES WITH PUMPKIN AND COCONUT CURRY

      This takes the humble baked spud on a far-flung journey to exotic, spice-scented tropical shores. Serve with a punchy chutney and, for those of a more carnivorous bent, fat slices of York ham.

      SERVES 4

      · 4 Maris Piper potatoes (about 150g each)

      · 2 tablespoons coconut oil

      · 2 shallots, chopped

      · a small thumb of fresh ginger, diced

      · 2 garlic cloves, chopped

      · ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

      · ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

      · ½ teaspoon mild curry powder

      · 1 star anise

      · ¼ of a pumpkin, diced (about 200g)

      · 400g tin of coconut milk

      · parsley, chopped, to serve

      Wash the potatoes and rub a little sea salt over the skin while they are still damp. Prick each one with a fork a few times and place in an oven heated to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Bake for about an hour, until tender when pierced with a knife.

      While the potatoes are baking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook the shallots, ginger and garlic until soft, fragrant and translucent but without letting them take on any colour. Add the spices and diced pumpkin to the pan and add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the spices have released their fragrance. Add the coconut milk and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft to the point of a knife.

      Slice the top off each potato and, holding it in an oven-gloved hand, carefully scoop out the flesh into a bowl, placing the skins on a roasting tray. Mash the potato with a fork, then add to the curry pan.

      Taste and adjust the seasoning, then remove the star anise. Fill the potato skins with the curry mixture and put them back into the oven for 10 minutes at the same temperature, until the skins are crispy. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. (See photo.)