At long last I prepared hasselback potatoes, a simple and elegant way to serve baked potatoes that adds that certain special touch to any meal. Last Friday night I served these delicious potatoes together with a main course of Moroccan Yellow Chicken with carrots. I'm always looking for attractive and simple side dishes, and this is certainly one that's going to show up on our table every so often!
Ingredients: un-peeled potatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F). Make slits in the potato by cutting almost all the way through at 3 to 4 mm intervals. There is a technique in which you place the potato on a wooden spoon, such that the knife hits the edge of the spoon preventing one from cutting too far down. (I forgot about this, and will try it next time for quicker preparation!)
Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic slices in between the slits. Then drizzle the olive oil over each potato and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft. Enjoy!
Note: For a heartier version of hasselback potatoes, you can sprinkle grated cheese and breadcrumbs over the the potatoes after they have baked for about 40 minutes, and then return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Also, I prefer potatoes with their skins on, but one can certainly make this version with peeled potatoes.
