Potatoes in many different forms are the basis of my diet in winter. Give me mashed potato, roasties, jacket spuds, gnocchi….. I could go on forever.
So here’s another potato recipe to add to the potato repertoire that will impress the whole family!
It takes a little bit time up front (we’re talking less than a minute per potato) to make those pretty little slices in the potatoes, but the rest is effortless.
📋 What do we need?
- I like to use floury potatoes such as Maris Pipers or Rooster potatoes, as this ensures a lovely fluffy interior.
- Garlic – the perfect partner for potatoes! You can replace with ½ tsp garlic powder if you prefer.
- Oil and butter (using the oil helps to stop the butter from burning, and using the butter gives a lovely buttery flavour).
- Thyme – use fresh or dried. I use dried for when they’re roasting, then sprinkle a little fresh thyme on at the end, but you can use either or both.
- Salt, pepper and paprika – for flavour and an extra bit of golden-red colour
👩🍳PRO TIP For even more crispness and flavour, you can gently open up some of the potato slices, using a blunt knife, when you’re basting the potatoes. This is easier to do when the potatoes have been in the oven for a while, so they’re a little softer.
🍽️ What to serve with Hasselback Potatoes
Hasselback potatoes work really well with saucy dishes (the sauce really gets into those nooks and crannies) or with steak as an alternative to chips/fries (if you’re serving with steak, try one of these steak sauces).
Don’t worry if you accidentally slice completely through a potato, or if a slice of the potato comes out when you’re cutting. Just push the potato back together or place the piece of potato back in. These ‘mistakes’ actually help to give the potatoes a few more gaps, so the slits separate nicely in the oven when baking.
Hasselback Potatoes
These hasselback potatoes are crisp and flavourful, with a lovely fluffy tender interior. They soak up any sauce beautifully, and they re-heat well too, so they’re great for making ahead!
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 200c/400F (fan)
- Place one of the potatoes on a chopping board. Place a wooden spoon or chopstick on each side of the potato and make slits in the potato, about 2mm apart. The wooden spoons/chopsticks will help to prevent you cutting all the way through the potatoes (it’s a good idea to use old spoons/chopsticks as you may scratch them with the knife).8 small floury potatoes
- Repeat with the remaining potatoes and place into a shallow, cast iron pan, or a shallow roasting tray.
- Mix together the oil, butter, garlic, thyme, salt, black pepper and paprika.2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp paprika
- Drizzle the mixture over the potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, until tender. Baste the potatoes 2-3 times during cooking.
- Serve topped with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves and a little Maldon salt, if you like.Fresh thyme leaves, Maldon salt
✎ Notes
Make the potatoes, then cool, cover with foil (still in the pan/tray) and refrigerate for up to a day.
Reheat in the oven at 180C/350F (fan), with the pan covered in foil for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot.
Scaling the recipe up or down
You can scale halve or double this recipe, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.
If you’re doubling the recipe, ensure the roasting tin or pan is big enough so that there’s at least an inch of space around each potato.
If you need to use two pans/trays to fit them all in, add 5-10 minutes to the overall cooking time. Place one of the trays in the top half of the oven and one of the trays in the bottom half of the oven and swap the trays around when you baste the potatoes, so they’re all evenly cooked.
Won’t the garlic burn?
If you baste the potatoes 2-3 times during cooking, ideally trying to get the bits of garlic on top and inside the slices of potato, it shouldn’t burn.
I’ve found even the garlic that’s left at the bottom of the pan will brown, but shouldn’t go black or bitter tasting, so long as you’re using the correct amount of oil and butter.
If you are worried about this, you can replace the minced garlic with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder (or ½ tsp garlic salt, if you’re using garlic salt, you can reduce the regular salt to just a pinch).
Oh no! I sliced through the potato!
Don’t worry if you accidentally slice completely through a potato, or if a slice of the potato comes out when you’re cutting. Just push the potato back together or place the piece of potato back in.
These ‘mistakes’ actually help to give the potatoes a few more gaps, so the slits separate nicely in the oven when baking.
Want to cook them in the Airfryer?
Replace the minced garlic with ½ tsp garlic powder (as fresh garlic will burn easier in the hotter, drier air of the airfryer).
Drizzle the potatoes with half the oil/butter/seasoning mixture, then place in the air fryer at 200C for 15 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining oil/butter/seasoning mixture and air fry for a further 10 minutes, until the potatoes are crips on the outside and tender in the middle.
Nutrition information is approximate, per potato.
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 428mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 123IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
