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Thunder Spud: Ramen Loaded Baked Potato

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield2 loaded potatoes 1x

A crisp-skinned baked potato loaded with chilli oil ramen noodles, melting cheddar and a runny fried egg, finished with spring onions and crispy onions. Strange on paper, excellent in practice.

Ingredients

Scale

For the potatoes

  • 2 large floury baking potatoes, Maris Piper or King Edward, about 300 to 350 g each
  • 1 tsp vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 30 g salted butter
  • Fine sea salt and black pepper

For the chilli oil noodles

  • 150 g fresh ramen noodles, or 100 g dried ramen nests, or 2 instant noodle blocks
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tbsp crispy chilli oil, plus more to serve
  • 1 small pinch caster sugar

To load

  • 100 g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
  • 2 large free-range eggs
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp crispy fried onions
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Scrub the potatoes and dry them completely. Prick each 6 to 8 times with a fork, rub with oil and sprinkle generously with flaky salt.
  2. Bake directly on the middle oven shelf, with a tray below to catch drips, for 75 to 90 minutes, until a skewer slides through with no resistance and the skin is crisp. Do not use foil.
  3. When the potatoes have about 8 minutes left, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, chilli oil and sugar together in a large bowl.
  4. Cook the noodles in unsalted boiling water, draining 30 seconds before the packet time. Tip them straight into the bowl of sauce and toss immediately until glossy and separate. If liquid pools in the bottom of the bowl, lift the noodles out and leave it behind.
  5. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Crack in the eggs and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are fully set and crisp at the edges but the yolks still wobble. Do not flip them.
  6. Take the potatoes out and immediately cut a deep cross in the top of each. Squeeze the sides so they open up and release steam.
  7. Add half the butter to each, season with salt and pepper, and fork it through the flesh until fluffy.
  8. Scatter two thirds of the grated cheddar over the hot flesh so it melts into the potato.
  9. Pile the dressed noodles on top of each potato, then slide a fried egg on top of the noodles.
  10. Finish with the remaining cheese, an extra drizzle of chilli oil, the spring onions, crispy fried onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes

The hybrid shortcut: Microwave the pricked potato on full power for 6 to 8 minutes, then oil, salt and finish in a 220°C oven or air fryer for 20 to 25 minutes. Total time drops to around 40 minutes.

The mistake to avoid: Adding broth or leaving the noodles wet. This is a dressed noodle dish, not a soup. Any free liquid turns the potato to mush within a couple of minutes. If there is a puddle in the bowl, lift the noodles out and leave it there.

Make ahead: Bake the potatoes in advance and reheat at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes. Everything else must be made to order, particularly the egg.

Variations: Swap the chilli oil for 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and a pinch of sugar for a mild version. Stir 1 tbsp full-fat soft cheese into the sauce for a creamy Thunder Spud. Use a halved soy marinated ramen egg instead of a fried one. Add 2 to 3 slices of warmed cooked chicken or beef over the noodles.

Equipment: A saucepan, a frying pan, a colander, a vegetable brush, a fork, a thin skewer and a box grater.

Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

Take particular care with the noodles (wheat, egg), soy sauce (soya, wheat), oyster sauce (molluscs, wheat), chilli oil (sesame, soya, sometimes peanuts), cheddar and butter (milk), the eggs, sesame seeds (sesame) and crispy fried onions (often wheat flour). Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.

This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/thunder-spud-ramen-loaded-potato/