Mini Hasselback Potatoes with Green Tahini Sauce

This is really two awesome recipes in one.

Fun, roasted mini potatoes, which are a perfect side for so many meals.  And a bright herb filled tahini sauce, which is a great dip for crudités, or as sauce over veggies or even meat. Bring them together and you have a great appetizer, snack or perfect Spring time side for Sunday dinner. 

Hasselback Potatoes

The accordion styled potato got its name over at the Restaurant Hasselbacken, in Sweden.  Its distinctive fringed or accordion top makes it a fabulous way to get extra crispy during the baking time, plus inside surface area that can allow the oil or butter to drip inside.  And if you want to stuff herbs or cheese in between the thin slices, go ahead.

The key to slicing a potato into all these lovely ‘pages’ is to use a good knife, and to know when to stop cutting.  You don’t want to slice clear through to the bottom, thus severing the potato. Yes, you can actually purchase a gadget to help you with the slicing, but you probably already have items in your kitchen drawers that will work just fine.

How to Cut a Hasselback Potato

Using chopsticks placed on either side of the potato as it is resting on the cutting board, is a fantastic method.  This will give your knife a guard to hit so that it doesn’t cut through to the bottom of the tater.  It works like a charm.  Now mind you, at either end of the potato you can’t use the chopsticks as guides, since the potato’s outer edge most like will sit higher than the chopsticks. So you will still need to cut slowly and watch how far the knife is going down.

Mini Hasselback Potatoes

Going mini means that these can cook in a fraction of the time.  They get all crispy and full of flavour as oil, butter and seasonings drip into the all the little slits cut into the potatoes.  Since the potatoes are so small I am saying to forego using two chopsticks etc to use as guards on either side of the potatoes when making the slits.  You just need a sharp knife and a steady hand.  Be gentle, not cutting so far down so as to slice the potato in half.  A quick toss in melted butter and seasonings, and the potatoes are ready to be popped into the oven. 

Bake these on a baking sheet which has been heated in advance. The potatoes should be in one layer, with enough exposure to the heat to crust up, if not they won’t get the texture you are looking for.  Use a baking sheet with a low edge, to ensure that the heat can travel all around the potatoes and for maximum crusting. The combination of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and harissa powder creates a wonderful flavour and crust for these crispy and creamy potatoes.

Now, Lets Move on to the Green Tahini Sauce

A classic Tahini Sauce is a simple creamy blend of lemon juice, garlic, jarred tahini (ground down sesame seeds) salt, and cumin.  That’s it.  But I’m going to share a method that elevates this simple tahini sauce and ensures that the flavour stays smooth and bright.

Raw garlic can ferment and turn sour, causing the flavour to become strong and aggressive.  This will affect the final tahini sauce, and hummus which is often made from this tahini sauce.  So to start off this sauce, you will take lemon juice and smashed garlic and blend it together in a small blender or chopper.  If you don’t have either, you can use a mortar and pestle to combine the two together till they are emulsified, it may not be as effective but it will help the lemon juice start soaking up the garlic.  Let this mixture sit together for 15 minutes to combine flavours effectively and let the garlic mellow.

When ready to move on to the sauce, you will pour the lemon garlic mixture through a small mesh sieve or strainer into a medium bowl.  Push down on the remaining  garlic and lemon pulp with a spoon to squeeze out every last drop of garlicky goodness.  Then discard what remains in the strainer.  Now you won’t have raw garlic sitting in the sauce which could turn it off.

To the lemon garlic juice you will add the tahini, cumin and salt.  It will firm up within a few seconds of firm stirring.  Have a bowl of ice water nearby and use it a tablespoon at a time to help thin out and smooth the tahini mixture.  In the end you want a smooth, creamy almost fluffy sauce.  If you will be storing it before using it, a bit more ice water will help it from firming up again.

Greens

Now let’s make that lovely smooth tahini sauce turn green!  Use your favourite herbs.  I usually use parsley, cilantro, dill, mint and chives.  But if one of them is missing, just increase one of the others as per your flavour preference.  It only takes a few tablespoons of each to create the most vivid green and bright fresh flavour for your tahini sauce.  This is perfect as a dip, but spooning it over grilled meats is a wonderful thing, all summer long.  This green tahini sauce will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.

Final Thoughts

I am showing these potatoes and green tahini with Sumac and Mint Lamb Chops.  Similar to my Sumac Lamb Lollipops, but using pork loin chops instead, these cook up in no time, whether on the grill or in a cast iron pan on the stove top.  Four or so minutes on both sides over medium high heat, to create a great crust, but with juicy interior is always a welcome way we enjoy lamb chops all year round.  But preparing these outside on the grill adds a wonderful smokiness which really agrees with lamb.

The Green Tahini Sauce on the lamb is phenomenal!  Especially if you don’t skimp on the mint!  Serve the mini Hasselback Ptatoes, Green Tahini and a side of roasted carrots or beets makes for a fantastic Spring Sunday Dinner with family.  Or serve the Green Tahini Sauce with Grilled Asparagus or Roasted Radishes.  Mini makes these potatoes a hit with kids, young and old alike.  And add a bit more ice water and lemon juice to turn this Green Tahini Sauce into a fantastic salad dressing!

Try these Hasselback Potatoes with my:

Citrus Fennel and Thyme Roast Pork Loin

Herb Crusted Pork Loin Roast with Figs and Vermouth

Roast Chicken with Fennel, Clementines and Olives

Rolled Turkey Breast with Wild Rice and Apple Stuffing

Succulent Pork Chops in Mustard Sauce

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Mini Hasselback Potatoes with Green Tahini Sauce

These crispy accordion pleated potatoes are a great side dish for any roast or grilled meat. Or just serve them as a side dish with herby bright and fresh green tahini sauce.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Levantine, Swedish

Keyword green tahini sauce, hasselback potatoes, mint, parsley, tahini

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Hasselback Potatoes

• 2 lb mini yellow potatoes, scrubbed clean, or 1 kg (about 4-5 potatoes per person)
• 2 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Harissa powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp Salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Maldon or other finishing salt to garnish the potatoes

Basic Tahini Sauce, makes 2 cups

• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 5 medium cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed
• 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup jarred tahini
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cumin, or to taste

Green Tahini Sauce

• 1 cup tahini sauce, from above
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 tsp chopped fresh chives
• kosher salt
• lemon wedge, optional

Instructions

Harissa Hasselback Potatoes

1. Heat the oven to 425F, and place one large or two medium baking sheets in to warm through.
2. Make very thin slices (1/16" - 1/8") along your baby potatoes, ensuring you don't go all the way down. A sharp knife and a steady hand are all you need. Place them into a large bowl.
3. In a small pot melt the butter. Once melted, add the onion powder, harissa powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well to combine. Pour this over the potatoes and toss well to combine and coat well.
4. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and working quickly, spread the potatoes out. Add a 1- 1 1/2 tbsp of oil to the bowl and use a brush to capture any leftover seasonings. Brush onto the tops of your potatoes with this oil.

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. They should be golden and cooked through, with crispy skins.

6. If you would like some extra crispness or browning, move the sheet(s) to the upper third rack and broil till a slight char begins.
7. Serve as is, with a sprinkling of Maldon finishing salt. Can be served with Green Tahini Sauce.

Basic Tahini Sauce

1. Have a bowl of ice water ready for blending the tahini sauce.
2. Place the smashed garlic cloves into a blender, along with the lemon juice and 1/4 tsp of salt. Blend on high till you have a coarse purée. Let it sit together for 10 minutes to let the garlic mellow.
3. Strain the lemon garlic mixture through strainer into a medium large bowl. Use a spoon to push down on the purée to ensure that you have as much of the lemon garlic mixture in the bowl. Discard the solids in the strainer.
4. To the lemon garlic juice add the tahini, cumin and remaining salt. Use a whisk to blend well. You will find that the tahini will start to stiffen up. Using 1 tbsp at a time, add ice water to the mixture and stir, till it is loosened up to the desired consistency. You may use up to 2/3 cup of water. Whisk energetically till the mixture is smooth and creamy, almost fluffy.
5. Taste and re-season as desired.
6. If you are not using all the tahini sauce at once, whisk in a couple more tablespoons of ice water, this will help it from becoming too thick in the fridge.
7. This tahini will keep in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Green Tahini Sauce

1. Place 1 cup of tahini sauce into a food processor. Add the chopped herbs and blend till well combined. Season with salt as desired. A squeeze of lemon is great to bring out the herby flavours as well. Serve with crudités or Hasselback Potatoes, or even spoon it over grilled meats or fish.

   To turn this into a fantastic salad dressing just thin it out with more ice water and lemon juice till you like the consistency.

2. See blog post for more details.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to make cut the Basic Tahini Sauce recipe in half. Then you will have just enough for the Green Tahini Sauce. I like having extra in the freezer, as it can be used to make Hummus.

Feel free to play with the herbs.  If you only want to use two of them, that's fine.  If you want to skew them so that mint is the star, just adjust the amounts.  This sauce is pretty forgiving, so feel free to even add more than stated.

Tahini Sauce inspired by the recipe in the cookbook Sahav, by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook