Hasselback Potatoes

I may never make a regular baked potato again.  This little technique is so easy and really gives a plain old baked potato a little bit of pop!

I've been scouring the internet trying to figure out why these are called hasselback potatoes and all I get are references to Matt and Elisabeth Hasselback and a million recipes for hasselback potatoes so maybe they're not named after a stegosaurus' cousin and that's just what they are.

Hasselback potatoes are essentially potatoes that are thinly sliced about 4/5 of the way through so that they have slits in them but the slices are all still connected together... like an accordion.  The idea is that you increase the surface area of the potato that gets direct heat and the potato gets crispier on the outside while still staying soft and baked potatoey on the inside.

I elected to put a slice of garlic in between every other slice of my potato because I love garlic and I'm pretty sure that all food slits are meant to be stuffed with something extra delicious.

After stuffing them with garlic, I brushed a combination of melted butter and olive oil all over them, including inside of each slit and then seasoned it generously with salt and pepper.  (I really mean generously - it's hard to over-salt a potato!)

After baking, the slits opened up a little and I sprinkled them with a little Parmesan cheese and popped them back in the oven for a few minutes to make sure it melted.  A sprinkle of freshly chopped chives and these potatoes are done.

These guys are pretty great!  I wish they had turned out a little bit crispier so next time I make them I'm going to crank up the heat a little bit (I baked them at 425 so I might bump it up to 450). There are a ton of possibilities with these potatoes... perhaps a little bacon and sour cream for a loaded hasselback potato or some sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese.  You could really dress these little guys up.

Hasselback Potatoes
Makes 2 potatoes

Ingredients
2 Baking Potatoes
1 T Butter, melted
1 T Olive Oil
1 large or 2 small cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 T grated Parmesan Cheese
2 T chopped Chives

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (or 450 degrees for crispier potatoes).  Thinly slice each potato accordion style, leaving the bottoms in tact.  Push a slice of garlic in between the slits of the potatoes.

Combine the butter and olive oil.  Brush each potato with the mixture making sure to get in between the slices.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place the potatoes in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour until the insides are soft and the outside is browned and crispy.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with chives.

Enjoy!
Julie