Hasselback Potatoes

Roasted. Mashed. Casserole. Baked. Hasselback?

Potatoes equal possibilities, but chances are your family might be getting tired of seeing them the same way over and over again—no matter how inventive you get with the baked potato toppings.

The answer? Hasselback potatoes. You’ll need to dig out a sharp knife to pull off this Swedish recipe. The recipe calls for you to make thin slices of the potato so that you can fan out the slices and fill them with breadcrumbs. You can do this with a whole potato, but my knife skills just aren’t that good (okay, I was going to say sharp, but I was trying to avoid a bad pun).

I make it easier by cutting the potatoes in half lengthwise so that they can lay flat while I make the slits. And to ensure that my slits don’t go right through the potato, I put the ends of two wooden spoons (or you could use chop sticks) so that the knife stops in the right place.

Once you’ve cut the potatoes you’re ready to pack flavor into each of the slits. I use breadcrumbs peppered with Parmesan cheese, paprika and garlic, but you might want to put your own spin on the recipe—maybe dried rosemary, thyme or basil.

Recipe

Servings: 4-6

Prep time: 30 minutes + baking

Ingredients

4 medium-sized potatoes (I use Yukon Gold)

½ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon butter, softened

1 clove garlic (or ½ teaspoon powder)

½ teaspoon paprika (optional)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Wash and peel the potatoes (or you can keep the skin on them).
4. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
5. Place one potato half between two ends of a wooden spoon (the flat end down). This will keep the potato in place while you make slits down the potato.
6. Start at the top of the potato and make thin slits from the top to bottom so that the potato pieces fan out. The wooden spoons should keep the knife from cutting all the way through the potato.
7. Repeat with the remaining 7 potato pieces.
8. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, butter, spices and garlic to a food processor and pulse until combined.
9. In a large plastic bag, place the oil and then the potatoes one at a time.
10. First coat the potatoes with the oil and then pinching the ends fan out the potato slivers and dip them into the bread crumbs.
11. Repeat with the remaining potato pieces.
12. Place each potato on the baking dish. Sprinkle the potatoes with any remaining bread crumbs before baking.
13. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are crisped on the outside and soft on the inside.