If you’re on the hunt for a new, but delicious, side dish, this could be exactly what you’re looking for.
We just love perfectly prepared potatoes, including Best Mashed Potatoes, French Potatoes Dauphinoise, Homemade French Fries, Garlic Parmesan Steak Fries, and Balsamic Roasted Potatoes. This dish is so much fun and truly spectacular in taste, presentation, and ease of preparation! Perfect side for a holiday feast or an easy weeknight meal at home! And much of the prep can be done in advance!
How To Make Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
First of all, you may be wondering: “Where did the name Hasselback Potatoes come from?” Well, as is often the case, there is some dispute over this, but most agree, it originated from a restaurant called “Hasselbacken” in the 1940s in Sweden. But did it really? If you’re interested, read a little more about it here.
In the meantime, the preparation is truly a snap.
You can vary them up with a variety of toppings, but we’re going with the more traditional today.
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The Ingredients You Will Need
As mentioned, you can vary up the toppings for the potatoes, but we think the simple ingredients make for the perfect crisp spud. And most of these items are very pantry friendly:
Here’s What You’ll Need
Whole potatoes – Russet work perfectly
Butter – Unsalted, butter, and have extra handy
Salt – Kosher, and have extra handy
Bread crumbs – Fine, Italian are great, but plain will work, too
Parmesan cheese – Grated, and have extra handy
Chives – Snipped, and have extra handy
Thyme – Fresh, or whatever your favorite herb is you have on hand
Parsley – Fresh, chopped, for garnish (optional)
EXPERT TIP: To make cutting the potatoes easy and to help ensure you won’t slice all the way through, first slice off about ⅛th inch lengthwise from the bottom. This will allow the spud to sit steady. Then, position a couple of chopsticks, dowel rods, or even wooden spoon handles on each side of the potato. Slowly cut thin slices all the way down until you reach the chopsticks/rod/spoon. Repeat with other potatoes.
Tips For Making Perfect Crisp Hasselback Potatoes
Get Started in Advance – You can easily prep the potatoes by slicing them and assembling the cheese/breadcrumb topping up to 24 hours in advance. It’s very important that you keep the sliced potatoes in a closed container of water so they are fully submerged. Keep the topping in a container with a lid in the refrigerator, too. About an hour before serving, drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with paper towels.
Check for Doneness – 60 total minutes of baking, plus the 4 to 5 minutes under the broiler should absolutely produce tender in the middle, crispy on-the-edge potatoes. However, due to varying oven temperatures, and even the size of the potatoes, you’ll want to make sure the spuds are fully cooked. Before you add the topping, pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife. If it goes through easily, proceed with the recipe. If not, let them bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Have Extra Salt and Butter – Some folks (including us) love our potatoes nice and buttery and salty. However, not everyone does. Have extra melted butter, and of, course, salt on hand, so those of us that like them buttery and salty can fix them the way we like them. Don’t oversalt or butter when preparing! Follow the recipe.
NOTE: Brush the sliced potatoes with melted butter. After the potatoes bake, they will begin to open up, and you’ll be able to add more butter and the topping.
How To Serve
These potatoes are can be served on a platter so folks can grab their own, or you can serve them individually.
For an elegant serving, place them in individual serving platters. NOTE: You can broil the potatoes in individual platters, but make sure your guests know that they could still be very hot!
EXPERT TIP: In order to eliminate the chance of anyone burning themselves on a hot plate, broil them on the baking dish, and then use a spatula to transfer them to the dish. Garnish as desired and then serve. NOTE: This is not how we show it in the video, and we strongly recommend not serving piping hot dishes to guests or family!
Other Side-Dish Recipes to Try
As mentioned, these Crispy Hasselback Potatoes are perfect for your Thanksgiving table or other holiday feasts. If you’re needing inspiration for additional side-dish recipes, these are some of our favorites:
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole
Candied Yams
Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Mom’s Thanksgiving Dressing
Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce
Roasted Whole Cauliflower
Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic
Classic Corn Casserole
But in the meantime, wouldn’t these be fantastic to serve?
Ready to make the best potato dish this side of Sweeden? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
Equipment
- baking dish with aluminum foil
Ingredients
- Cooking spray or butter
- 8 medium russet potatoes
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter divided, melted
- 1 tsp Kosher salt plus more for serving
- 4 tbsp Italian bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp chives chopped
- 1 tsp thyme fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray, or softened butter.
- For each potato, cut a thin slice lengthwise from the bottoms of the potatoes so they stand without rolling back and forth. Place chopsticks (or dowel rods or spoon handles) on either side of the potato. Cut the potatoes crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices, stopping the knife when it reaches the chopsticks to prevent slicing all the way through the spud. Repeat with all potatoes. Set each potato on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush 2 tbsp of melted butter over the tops of the potatoes. Liberally sprinkle salt over the tops. Cover tightly with another piece of foil and bake in the oven (covered) for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
- While the potatoes are baking, stir together in a small bowl the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, chives, thyme, and ½ tsp salt.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the tops of the baked potatoes, using a couple of forks to help spread the potatoes open so some of the mixture falls in between the crevasses. Drizzle another 3 tbsp of melted butter over the breadcrumb mixture.
- Turn your oven broiler on HIGH. Keep the rack in the center of the oven and place the baking sheet with the prepared potatoes on it and broil for about 5 minutes, or until just starting to brown on top. Keep an eye on them, don't let them burn!
- Place the potatoes and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot with additional melted butter and salt on the side.
