Weeknight crispy jacket potato with mackerel and white beans

Serves 1-2 Prep 30-50mins Cook 20mins

My weekly go-to: crispy jacket potato, white beans, and tinned mackerel. Zesty, herby, and packed with fibre — perfect for a weeknight dinner.

I eat this dish, in some form, at least once a week. Every week. Yes. Twice if you include leftovers. 

This is a weeknight staple because of how easy it is to swap out ingredients with the finished product being somewhat just as chic and delectable. 

You can substitute the vinegar with lemon, the yoghurt with crème fraîche, or even use a vegan cream for a richer result. And of course, any white bean works here. In the photos I used chickpeas but prefer butter beans so that’s what I’ve written in the recipe.

This recipe works for two, or one with leftovers. I like to make a double batch and meal prep for the week. If reheating, pop the jacket potato in the oven/air fryer to crisp it up. Sprinkle on some fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon to bring the reheated beans back to life. I also keep the leftover tinned fish separately in the fridge and serve it at room temp (or fridge cold if you don’t want to wait 30 mins…).

Do your pantry a favor with a tangy, creamy, and slightly sweet dill sauce—pair it with Gordon’s Mustard and Dill Sauce, because honestly, it belongs on everything.

I hope you enjoy! x

INGREDIENTS

2                 large potatoes 

125g           tinned mackerel fillets in oil

400g         cooked butterbeans

1 tbsp        white vinegar

1                 lemon

1                 small white onion

2–3            large garlic cloves

1 tbsp       vegetable bouillon powder

3-4 tbsp   yogurt or Creme fraiche 

handful   dill (roughly 10g)

olive oil

salt & black pepper

METHOD

  1. Poke your washed and dried potatoes all over with a fork or toothpick. Rub with oil and whack them in a preheated oven at 200°C for 60 minutes, or until super crispy. Finish with salt.
    If you’re impatient like me, microwave them on high for 5–10 minutes to soften first (depending on how many spuds you’re cooking), then finish in the oven for about 30 minutes. The key is to get them super crispy. 

  2. Finely chop the white onion, garlic & dill… Congrats — that’s all the chopping required.

  3. Heat a wide frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat and drizzle in as much olive oil as your heart desires. Once hot, add the chopped onion, followed by the garlic. Saute until softened but watch the heat, we don’t want these to brown but to stay translucent. 

  4. When the onion/garlic starts to catch slightly on the bottom of the pan, deglaze with the white vinegar (or white wine, if using).

    The pan needs to be hot enough so the vinegar will instantly sizzle when it hits the bottom of the pan.

  5. Let the liquid cook off for a couple of minutes, before adding the tin of butterbeans along with their liquid. Stir to incorporate everything.

  6. Add the vegetable bouillon and 80ml water to loosen things up.

  7. Reduce the heat and let the beans simmer until the liquid reduces slightly and the mixture thickens — about 5–7 minutes. I use whatever I’m cooking with to smoosh some of the beans to break them down during this part and thicken the liquid.

  8. Turn the heat to low and stir in a dollop of yoghurt, followed by the chopped dill.

  9. Season with salt, cracked black pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Turn off the heat.

    I recommend a generous amount of lemon.

  10. Cut open your crispy baked potatoes and spoon over the butterbean mixture. Flake over half a tin of mackerel per potato.

  11. Finish with another squeeze of lemon, flakey salt and lots of fresh dill.

  12. Enjoy.