Baker's Corner: Hasselback Potatoes

Okay spud lovers....listen up coz boy do I have a treat for you. Tired of the same old French fries, wedges, mashed potatoes or foil-baked potatoes? Fear not, for the Swedish have come up with this unique and impressive way of turning the humble spud into something quite fancy. I had seen this recipe a long time ago and not wanting to forget about it, I had pinned it onto my must-try recipe board on Pinterest. It was the way it looked that appealed to me instantly.

Hasselback potatoes are rather like sautéed potatoes on the stem: each one is cut into thin slices across and almost right through but not quite, and then roasted in buttery oil; as they cook, the potatoes fan out, like slightly fleshy crisps with their bottoms still attached. These potatoes have the crispy edges of your favorite French fries, but with middles as creamy as mashed potatoes. How cool is that? Not to mention that they have the advantage of being, essentially, wholesome baked potatoes in clever disguise. To be honest, they take slightly more time and effort than your average foil-wrapped baked potato but they come out looking so pretty that it’ll make everything worthwhile. As the potatoes bake, the slices fan out slightly for a show-stopping presentation. Serve it as a side dish at a dinner party and you will be sure to wow your guests.

You can flavour these potatoes in a number of ways. You can use garlic, chilli flakes, other spice powders like Cajun or paprika, dried Italian herbs and grated cheese. You can serve them just the gorgeous way they come out of the oven or dress them up with some sour cream and chives. Whatever makeover you give them, they will be sure to taste great.

Go on then....try this way of serving potatoes and you will be glad you did 😊

Hasselback Potatoes

Prep time: 30 min; Baking time: 40-45 min
Total time: Under 90 min
Serves: 4
Recipe type: Side dish/Swedish
Recipe level: Easy

Ingredients:

4 medium-size potatoes (preferably use waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold)
2 - 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
A few thin shavings of cheese such as Cheddar, Mozzarella or Parmesan (I used Monterey Jack)
2 tbsp olive oil
30 g salted butter
Maldon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F). Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals. Be careful while cutting as you wouldn't want to go too deep. 

2. Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and brush the potatoes well with olive oil. Make sure the oil permeates into the slits. Now season generously with salt making sure the salt goes into the slits. Insert the garlic and the cheese shavings in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Drizzle with more olive oil (if required) and sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. 

I added cheese to two of the potatoes and left the other one with just the garlic. 

3. Bake the potatoes for about 40-45 min or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

4. Serve hot as it is or topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.


Notes:

• I found only baby Yukon Gold potatoes in the grocery store so I ended up buying washed Hertha potatoes which worked quite well
• Seasoning the potatoes is quite important otherwise you won't get quite the taste you are looking for
• If you have leftover potatoes, you can whip up a cold potato salad the next day

Cheers,

Megha