Hasselback Potatoes with Herb Butter
On December 18, 2014 by Meghalee Das
It’s a beehive, it’s bread … no, Hasselback Potatoes are nothing but fancy looking good old potatoes! Also known as Accordion Potatoes, due to the way the slices fan out, this is just a different version of a regular baked potato. The name is derived from the historic Hasselbacken hotel in Stockholm, where this dish originated. It can be a beautiful side dish or served with some grilled vegetables, mushrooms or quinoa.
The only “hassle” in preparing this dish is cutting the potatoes with such precision that they are thinly sliced but not all the way. You must stop just before it touches the bottom part – cut too less and you won’t get the slices to flare, cut too deep and your potato will fall apart. But after the initial prep, there is pretty much nothing to do besides basting it with herb butter a couple of times while it cooks in the oven. Basting the potatoes is important to get a crispy skin and to keep the insides moist and flavorful. I have used a combination of butter and olive oil but you can also try bacon fat or duck fat to impart a different flavor.
This is the basic recipe for Hasselback Potatoes but there are many things you can add to it. In the last 15 min of baking, you can add bacon bits, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs or grated cheddar cheese and make it as versatile as you want. You can also use any kind of potato – russet, Yukon gold, red or sweet– but bigger, oval shaped ones look prettier. Just make sure you clean the potatoes well as we are leaving the skins on and don’t want any grit. Serve them hot and crisp with some extra butter.
Ingredients:
Potatoes: 4 large
Butter: 4 tbsp
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Crushed or minced garlic: 1 tbsp
Mixed herbs (Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme): 1 tsp or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1) Thoroughly clean the potatoes and pat them dry. Pre-heat the oven at 425 degrees F.
2) Make the herb butter by melting butter and adding olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and mixed herbs to it. Remember you have to sprinkle salt on the potatoes again.
3) Slice the potatoes by making thin, deep slits, stopping just before reaching the bottom. Since we do not slice them all the way, the bottom part of the potato remains intact and the slices stay connected. At this stage, the potato will look really packed and the slits not so visible. But as they cook and shrink, it will fan out.
4) Brush the potatoes with the herb butter all over and try to drip some between the slices. Sprinkle liberally with salt.
5) Bake for 30 min and brush them with the butter again. This time take a knife and separate the slices a bit so that you get a nice flare later.
6) Bake for another 30 min or maybe a little more depending on how large the potatoes are until the skin is crispy.
7) Sprinkle some herbs over it, check the seasoning and serve hot with butter.
- Potatoes: 4 large
- Butter: 4 tbsp
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Crushed or minced garlic: 1 tbsp
- Mixed herbs (Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme): 1 tsp or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Thoroughly clean the potatoes and pat them dry. Pre-heat the oven at 425 degrees F.
- Make the herb butter by melting butter and adding olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and mixed herbs to it. Remember you have to sprinkle salt on the potatoes again.
- Slice the potatoes by making thin, deep slits, stopping just before reaching the bottom. Since we do not slice them all the way, the bottom part of the potato remains intact and the slices stay connected. At this stage, the potato will look really packed and the slits not so visible. But as they cook and shrink, it will fan out.
- Brush the potatoes with the herb butter all over and try to drip some between the slices. Sprinkle liberally with salt.
- Bake for 30 min and brush them with the butter again. This time take a knife and separate the slices a bit so that you get a nice flare later.
- Bake for another 30 min or maybe a little more depending on how large the potatoes are until the skin is crispy.
- Serve hot.
