Twice-Baked Potatoes with Kale, Ham & Goat's Cheese

The twice-baked potato is a small architectural masterpiece. A baking potato becomes a vessel for its own contents — scooped, mashed, mixed with anything in the fridge, repacked, baked again until the top blisters. It's substantial enough to be dinner, elegant enough to be served at a table without apology, and uses ingredients that are usually already in the kitchen.

The filling here is greens-and-cheese-leaning: sautéed kale (the slight bitterness cuts through the cheese), smoked ham (small dice, for salt and chew), goat's cheese (the tangy crumbly kind, not the soft spreadable kind), spring onions, chives. Plus the mashed potato itself, with butter and a splash of double cream.

Air-frying the initial bake takes about 35 minutes for a medium russet at 400°F (vs 60+ in the oven) — a real time savings. The second bake (the "twice" part) is 8 minutes to crisp the tops.

The photo shows the finished plate: one stuffed potato cut open on a dark plate, the kale-and-ham-flecked filling visible against the crisp brown skin, charred bits of cheese on top, a generous pile of steamed purple kale alongside, second potato in the background. The hero shot of a proper British dinner.