Jacket Potatoes

Jacket potatoes were my favorite restaurant entrée when I visited London. Not only are they delicious, but they were often the most economical choice on the menu. Quite simply, they're a loaded baked potato, but instead of the American tradition of chili or bacon and cheese, I chose to recreate an option I commonly went for when I was Britt acting as a Brit: tuna with corn and a sprinkle of cheese. It's like a tuna melt, only with a bit of Irish potato-ness to really warm your heart and your belly.

The Edibles:

• non-stick olive oil cooking spray
• tuna salad, about 2 cans-worth (either your own favorite recipe or I provided mine below)
• several pats of butter (1-2 T.)
• about 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• optional: balsamic vinaigrette dressing

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cook potatoes in microwave until soft (mine took about 4 minutes). Allow to cool for several minutes before handling.
3. Place potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Crumble the sides of the foil around the potato. This will keep the potato together and make it easier to remove from the pan once cooked.
4. Cut down the longer length of potato, not all the way through. Cut several times across and push longer sides together to open. Use a fork to break apart potato flesh. Add a pat of butter to the flesh and spread around the inside.
5. Disperse tuna salad evenly amongst the opened potatoes. Spray potatoes generously with olive oil cooking spray. Top tuna mixture with as much shredded cheese as you like.
6. Bake in the oven 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browning. Drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinaigrette if desired.

Tuna Salad (The Edibles... just mix together):

• 2 cans albacore tuna, drained and flaked
• 2-3 T. miracle whip or mayonaise
• 2 T. honey dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. dried chives
• 1 tsp. dried garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. frozen corn