These jacket potatoes with tonnato sauce make for a simple yet stunning dish that celebrates the beauty of quality ingredients. Our extra virgin olive oil is the star of this recipe — drizzled generously over crispy-skinned baked jacket potatoes, blended into the silky tuna-based dressing, and used as a final flourish when serving. The result is a memorable meal that proves great cooking doesn’t require complexity, just exceptional ingredients.
Jacket Potatoes with Tonnato Sauce — Ingredients (Serves 2)
For the Jacket Potatoes
- 2 large jacket potatoes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 2 large eggs
For the Tonnato Sauce
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 13g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 60g good quality tinned tuna
- 10g baby capers or regular capers, drained and chopped
- 1 anchovy fillet in oil, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 90ml extra virgin olive oil
How to Make Jacket Potatoes with Tonnato Sauce
Step 1: Bake the Jacket Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Place the potatoes on a baking tray, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the skins are beautifully crisp and the centres are soft and fluffy. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Tonnato Sauce
The tonnato sauce originates from Italian cuisine — a blended tuna dressing typically served with veal, but equally magnificent on jacket potatoes. Place the egg yolk, lemon juice, parsley, tuna, half the capers, anchovy, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz for about one minute to form a rough paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the machine still running, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture reaches the consistency of a light mayonnaise. Set aside.
Step 3: Soft Boil the Eggs
Drop the eggs into boiling water and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Immediately refresh under plenty of cold water, then peel carefully and set aside.
Step 4: Assemble the Jacket Potatoes with Tonnato Sauce
When ready to serve, slice each hot jacket potato almost — but not completely — in half, leaving the base of the skin intact. Gently squeeze the sides to open the potato and loosen the fluffy centre, then season the flesh with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Spoon the tonnato sauce generously over each potato and top with a soft-boiled egg, torn in half just before serving so the golden yolk flows into the dressing. Finish with the remaining parsley and capers, then crown the dish with one final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- Choose the right potato: Large, floury potatoes such as King Edward or Maris Piper give the best fluffy centres and crispy skins.
- Quality tuna matters: Use good quality tinned tuna in olive oil for a richer, more flavourful tonnato sauce.
- Extra virgin olive oil is key: The quality of your olive oil will define this dish. Use the best you have, especially for finishing.
- Make ahead: The tonnato sauce can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge — the flavours improve with time.
About the authorNick Ednie is the founder and curator of The Olive Library, a personal journey into the world of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. With a deep love of food, Nick travels the Mediterranean to discover and share some of the finest olive oils available. He has also deepened his expertise through study at the prestigious EVOO School. Nick’s mission is to champion heritage, quality and education in every bottle he selects and to bring the stories behind exceptional producers to life. When he’s not tasting and sourcing oils, he writes about flavour, terroir and the art of olive oil appreciation.