Skip to main content

Hasselback Potatoes


Hasselback Potatoes


*******


These look like little armadillos.  The texture is a combination of crispy and tender.  Yum. Who doesn't like searching for the perfect, crispy, golden brown parts of a potato cooked like this? Hasselbacks are a potato recipe that hails from Sweden, and they originally used butter and breadcrumbs, and sometimes Parmesan. Bay leaves are a favorite Scandinavian herb, so you can insert a bay leaf in between each potato slice if you want. It looks beautiful to see the leaves poking out of the fanned slices!
Sweet potatoes also work well, if you choose well-shaped ones.

6 russet potatoes, organic, medium size, scrubbed clean
¼ C olive oil (preferrably heated with fresh rosemary, then cooled)
¼ C butter, room temperature
Sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground

  1. Preheat ove to 425ºF.  Put the potato on a chopping board (peeled or not), flattest side down (cut a very thin slice off the base if it won’t lay flat).  Lay a chopstick on each long side of the potato.  Starting at one end of the potato cut almost all the way through at 3mm intervals, or even thinner if you can (the chop stick stops you from cutting all the way through. Or you can push a wooden skewer through each potato lengthwise about 5mm from the bottom to stop the knife. Remove skewer when done cutting). 
  2. Rinse “hasselbacked” potatoes under cold water to remove starch and pat dry.
  3. Rub with softened butter.
  4. Carefully fan out the potato, being careful not to break it, and drizzle olive oil between the slices. 
  5. Arrange the potatoes on a foil-lined baking tray and insert a garlic slice in between the slits. Scatter some more butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle with a bit more olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Bake the potatoes for about 40-50 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.  5 minutes before removing from oven, sprinkle with cheese (optional), and bake until bubbly and golden brown.  Put under broiler if necessary to brown well.
  7. Before serving cover with fresh minced parsley, or a mixture of fresh minced herbs.

Variations:
  • Bread crumbs, cheese (high quality, grated). Mix in food processor and pat on to potatoes after they have been buttered or rubbed with olive oil.
  • 1-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced and inserted in between sliced potatoes before baking.
  • Additional garlic for roasting: add unpeeled garlic cloves to pan before baking, and serve alongside potatoes.
  • Bay leaves: insert one bay leaf into each potato, sticking out like a flag.
  • Fresh herbs: parsley, rosemary, loveage or chives work especially well.
  • Toppings after baking: melted browned butter; sour cream; herbed butter, pesto.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Easter Babies (Croatian Easter Bread Dolls)

  Easter Babies                                                     ******* Makes 12 Easter Babies These Easter Babies (Croatian Easter bread dolls a.k.a.   primorski uskrsne bebe )  are a new tradition in our family. The egg dying, dough mixing and braiding is so fun for children and grownups—it’s contagious. Traditionally, they are made with red-dyed eggs, but we use the colors we already have dyed. They make sweet gifts and they also look charming laying next to each Easter dinner plate.  This lady  uses naturally dyed eggs for her Easter babies. If you're already making  challa bread , use extra challa dough for these babies (simply make enough dough for 2 loaves, only bake one challa, and use the remaining dough for the Easter Babies).

Challa Bread

Challa Bread *******  Makes 2 loaves My neighbor, Bonnie, grew up with a Jewish friend and learned to love their family traditions, songs and the Hebrew language. Every Sunday she taught our Mormon young women a lot about the Hebrew alphabet and about many Jewish traditions (I was a teacher in Young Women so I got to hear her lessons). Even though she didn't talk about food, her lessons gave me the nudge to learn how to make something I'd always wanted to try . . . challa bread.  Check out h ow to braid a six-strand challa .

Pumpkin Pie-Coconut Cream Ice Cream

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Makes 1 quart I spy some dietary restrictions in my future. The doctor’s verdict will be in within a month, so I was hoping that some of the few remaining approved edibles (including coconut) could turn out something muy bueno. They did. This ice cream is excelente. The gingersnap cookies won’t be an option for the Paleo eater at the table, but everyone else will love them.  Modified from the nourishing gourmet