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Jacket potatoes are a comfort food classic, but if yours are coming out a little dry or underwhelming, one simple ingredient could make all the difference. Rather than sticking it in the oven and forgetting about it, this requires twice-baking the potato, which many say is the secret to achieving a rich, fluffy bite and a crispy skin.

You simply have to scoop out the flesh once it is partially cooked, and whip it up with a few ingredients, before placing it back inside the 'jacket'. It takes slightly more effort, but the food expert swears it is is worth it. Popular recipes suggest mixing it with fats like butter, sour cream, or shredded cheese, before restuffing and baking again, but another rich, creamy ingredient can take it to a whole other level.

The foodie says it transforms the humble spud into something far more indulgent. "This creamy, decadent secret ingredient is the key to better twice-baked potatoes," said Ashlie Stevens, senior food editor at Salon.

That ingredient is the velvety Italian cheese, mascarpone, which changes the texture of the filling into something "tremendous".

You have to whip the centre of the potato with a few generous spoonfuls of mascarpone, which is the star of the show, along with cheddar cheese, salt, pepper and chives with, before putting it back into the 'jacket'.

"The whipped butteriness of the mascarpone cheese gave the potato filling both flavour and volume, while the cheddar cheese was just decadent."

To achieve the results, bake some russet potatoes with olive oil and salt for around 35 minutes at 175C before slicing them and scooping the soft flesh into a bowl.

When you have mixed the fillings and spooned the mixture back into the potato skins, bake them for another 15 minutes at the same temperature.