*Stuffed Jacket Potatoes with Leeks and Cheese*
Serves 4

The perfect light lunch or supper.  You can add ham or fried bacon to the filling, or sweet corn and sauteed red pepper.  Replace the Cheddar with cream cheese or blue cheese, or scoop out the potato and mash it with avocado and grated cheese. Alternateively instead of the leek, add canned salmon or tuna, chopped fresh chives and grated cheese.  Adapted from Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook, by Readers Digest.

4 large baking potatoes (about 1 KG or 2 1/4 pounds)
1 large leek
1 1/2 TBS butter
125g grated strong cheddar cheese (1 scant cup or 4.5 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Scrub the potatoes with a stiff bristled brush and pat dry with paper toweling.  Prick them a few times with a fork.  Place them into the oven directly onto the oven rack.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the potatoes are soft when tested with a small sharp knife and the skin is crisp.

Trim the darker green section from the leek and discard.  Cut the white stalk in half lengthwise and rinse to remove any grit.  Drain well and thinly slice.  Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the leek and saute for 5 minutes, without colouring, until soft.

Using tongs, remove the potatoes from the oven.  Allow to cool slightly and then cut a slice from the top of each.  Scoop out the flesh into a bowl, using a spoon.  Add the sauteed leek and the cheese to the potato flesh and season with some salt and black pepper. Mix to combine well.

Spoon the mixture back into the potatoes and replace the tops.  Place the potatoes onto a baking tray and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve hot.