I just love that these days, the sky is the limit when it comes to combining cultures in cooking.
Case in point. The Hasselback potato. In the last few years it has become quite popular, showing up on IG, in cookbooks, in restaurants etc. Where did it get its start? The accordian styled potato got its name over at the Restaurant Hasselbacken, in Sweden. Its distinctive fringed or accordian 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.
The other key to getting a clean cut is a potato that isn’t wobbling about. So make sure that you cut a thin slice off the bottom of the potato. This will help it to sit flat on the cutting board. Then place the chopsticks along either long edge.
What else you need to prepare Hasselback potatoes: You want a good knife, and a steady hand. Try to get the slices as thin as possible, without making them so thin that they easily break away during baking. I seem to get mine between 1/6 and 1/8 inch. The more potatoes you cut, the better your knife skills will get as well.
I find that Yukon Gold potatoes work best in this type of setting. You want a waxy potato that will not turn mealy during the baking process.
Once you have all your potatoes cut, you’ll be brushing them with oil and butter, garlic, and seasonings. The sky is the limit here. Today I’m showing you how to give your potatoes a Moroccan flair. The chilli and the spice blend give the potatoes a fabulous presence, and the flavour profile will work with all sorts of meats or other dishes that you’ll be serving these lovely spuds with.
What are Classic Moroccan Spices? Harissa powder (it can also be purchased as a paste) and Ras el Hanout are two classic spice blends that you should definitely have in your spice cupboard. Both can be used in a variety of dishes, not just Moroccan. I use both in scrambled eggs, mixed with yogurt for dips, in rubs for chicken, lamb etc. Of course you will use them in my Tomato and Red Lentil Soup and in classic tagines or stews like the Chicken Tagine on the blog. The Harissa is a chilli pepper blend, and the ras el hanout is a blend of common spices that we know but combined in a unique North African manner. You’ll find cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, ginger, turmeric etc in the blends. Consider it the garam masala of North Africa!
I add both spice blends to the olive oil and melted butter. I use the butter as well as the oil to give it a bit more flavour, but you can use just one or the other. The other ingredient is plenty of minced garlic.
Then it just a matter of placing the cut up potatoes on a baking sheet, brushing them with some of your spicy oil blend and baking. You’ll baste two times more before they are ready to come out of the oven. But in the end you will have achieved a crispy, textured potato with a ton of flavour. Sprinkle some cilantro, parsley or dill and finishing salt and Aleppo pepper flakes, and these will take your next roast turkey or sirloin beef to the next level!
And if you just want to bake up a batch and serve them with sour cream or labneh, or veggie chilli spooned over them, that’s alright too!
An easy but impressive side dish!
Disclaimer: In the shots here, I show the potatoes sitting on a parchment lined baking sheet. We seem to use parchment so much these days. For easy clean up, right? But I have learned, that this is not a case where parchment is needed. I could have gotten more crisp in the bottom of the potato if I omitted the parchment paper. The potatoes need to sit right on the hot pan to get that caramelized perfection.
Graduate from these by adding slices of beemster or cheddar, manchego or even mozzarella in between the slices. Or maybe some cooked off pancetta or bacon?! You would add them after the last basting.
These are best served right away, when the edges are at their crispiest . But I have had leftovers that the next morning heated up just fine to go with a sunny side up egg!
Love Jen
Moroccan Hasselback Potatoes
All the visual fun of an accordion, with the creamy goodness of baked potatoes with crispy outsides. And kicky Moroccan spices to take them up a notch!
Ingredients
- 6-8 medium potatoes Yukon Gold, Russet, or Red Bliss
- 1/2 cup melted butter olive oil, duck fat, bacon fat, coconut oil, or a mix
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp Harissa powder
- 2 tsp Ras el Hanout powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt more if needed
- 1 tsp Maldon finishing salt
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped parlsey can use cilantro, dill and even mint or a combo of them all!
Instructions
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Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat to 400°F.
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Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. If the skins are in great shape, there is no need to peel them. Alternatively, you can peel the skins off. But I think the skins add so much texture to the final crispy-ness.
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Combine the fat with the garlic, harissa, ras el hanout, and kosher salt in a small bowl.
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Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato. Rest them on a cutting board, with a chopstick along either side hugging the potato. Cut slits in the potatoes, leaving the bottom intact. Cut parallel slits into each potato, stopping just before you cut through so that the slices stay connected at the bottom of the potato. Space the slices 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch apart. Slice straight down and when your knife hits the edge of the chopstick, stop slicing. But watch the ends of the potatoes, the outer edge may be closer than you realize!
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Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with half the fat mixture, including the bottoms of the potatoes.
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Bake 30 minutes, then brush with more fat. Make sure you get some of the garlic, which always seems to settle at the bottom. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. At this point, the layers will start separating. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with the remaining fat — you can nudge the layers apart if they're still sticking together. Make sure some of the fat and garlic drips down into the space between the slices.
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Bake until the potatoes are crispy on the edges and easily pierced in the middle with a paring knife, 20-30 minutes. This will depend on the size of your potatoes. If you're adding any extras, stuff those into the slits and sprinkle over the top 5 to 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
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Remove to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the Maldon salt, the Aleppo pepper and chopped herbs. Serve immediately. These potatoes are best straight from the oven while the edges are at their crispiest.
Recipe Notes
I say this recipe serves four. Obviously, it will depend on the size of the potatoes, and the appetites of those dining. If you know that you are feeding hungry men, two per person is a given. You can adjust as you see fit. The larger potato you use, adjust the final cooking time as well.
The original method for preparing Hasselback potatoes can be found here.
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