Mice in Jackets

 Serves 4   -  Prep time: 35 mins   -  Cook time: 1 hour

For the potatoes
4 small baking potatoes (approx 250g each)
Olive oil for brushing
20g/1oz butter
5 to 6 tbsp milk
60g/2oz grated Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper

For the decoration
4 cherry tomatoes
Chives
2 radishes
Raisins
2 spring onions

It’s rewarding all round to involve children in cooking. They will love helping you decorate these potato mice.

Wash the potatoes, pat dry and prick the skins in several places. Put them on a baking tray and brush them all over with the oil. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for about one hour, or until they feel soft when pressed.
When cool enough to handle, cut off the tops of the potatoes, carefully scoop out the flesh and mash it up with the butter, milk and two-thirds of the cheese until smooth, and season to taste. Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cook under the grill for a few minutes
until golden.
Fix a small cherry tomato into each of the potatoes for the noses using a cocktail stick. Add some short lengths of chives for the whiskers – you can tuck these behind the tomato. Decorate with sliced radishes for the ears, raisins for the eyes and spring onion
for the tails.


Annabel Karmel’s Winter Family Cookbook is available from Tesco, Sainsbury, Boots, Asda, WHSmith, Borders and Eason as well as online at amazon.co.uk, magbooks.com and annabelkarmel.com for only £5.99!