Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients for Potatoes

1. Oblong potatoes of uniform size 2 ( I used Russet potatoes)

2. Unsalted butter 6 tbsp approx

3. Garlic cloves 6 finely chopped

4. Any herbs of ur choice (basil, parsley, oregano or rosemary) or Italian seasoning 1 tbsp or more (I used Italian seasoning)

5. Olive oil 

6. Salt 

7. Pepper

Method Of Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line ur baking sheet with an aluminum foil greased with non stick cooking spray. Set this aside.

2. Rinse & scrub the potatoes well. Scrape off the skin here & there (optional). Do not try to remove all the skin.

3. Pat dry the potatoes & place it on a cutting board. If ur potatoes are shapeless & don't  lie flat on the board & keeps rolling & if it's difficult to work on, then cut a thin slice(1/4 inch) from the middle bottom just to make it lie flat. Skip this step if your potatoes are good to work on.

4. Using a sharp knife, slice each potato vertically(like the way it's shown in the picture above), leaving 1/4 inch space between each slices.

5. If you are unable to make thin slices then you may make it a little thick but remember thin slices give u crispy potatoes.

6. The base of the potato needs to remain intact so make the slits only till 3/4 inch of the potato. Leave 1/4 of an inch at the bottom of the potato intact. Make sure not to run ur knife all the way through the potato. Also make sure not to cut only a little(less than 3/4 inch)because the potatoes will not fan out(like the way it's in the picture)then.

7. Apply a generous amount of olive oil on the potatoes. You need to coat the potatoes well with oil, only then the potatoes will turn out crispy.

8. After coating the potatoes with oil, bake them in a preheated oven at 425 F for 20 minutes.

9. In the meantime, in a skillet add butter, finely chopped garlic, salt & Italian seasoning. Turn on the flame to low (only after adding everything) & let the butter absorb all the flavors of the Italian herbs & garlic into it. Leave it on low flame for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the gas.

10. After 20 minutes, take the potatoes out of the oven & with a pastry brush, brush the inside & outside of the slits of the potatoes with the garlic infused butter. Add only the butter & not the chopped garlic & herbs in it.

11. The potatoes must have fanned out a little by now (I.e, after the first 20 minutes of baking), now with a very small spoon try to fan out each & every slit (i.e, spread out the slits if they are sticking to each other). Make sure you do not press too much & break them. The garlic butter should go deep into the slits of the potatoes. 

12. Put it back in the oven & take it out after 15 minutes. Again repeat the same process of brushing the potatoes with the butter (only the butter & not the garlic & herbs in it). Make sure the butter seeps into the potatoes.

13. Then again put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Take it out & again repeat the above process of brushing the butter. Once u brush the slits nicely with butter this last time,(yes this is the last time u will be popping the potatoes into the oven) remember to sprinkle the chopped garlic & herbs that is left over in the butter inside & outside the slits of the potatoes.This is the only time u need to add the garlic & herbs, the other two times it should just be butter & no garlic & herbs. You  can also sprinkle powdered Parmesan cheese on top of the potatoes but this is purely optional. However I did not do it. Now it's time to put it in the oven for a final baking of 10 minutes.

14. Take it out after 10 minutes & it's all done.

15. This needs a total baking time of an hour.{20 minutes of baking with just the olive oil coating & 40 minutes with the butter(15+15+10)}

16. Make enough garlic & herbs infused butter as you need to brush them thrice with butter. The more butter you use on the potatoes, the more tasty they will turn out to be. Also add garlic in generous amount in the butter as it will make ur potatoes nice & flavorful.

Notes:

1. Use big long potatoes for this, only then this will be nice & beautiful to present & to look at. It is also easy to make slits if the potatoes are oblong.

2. Make sure to fan out the slits sticking to each other each time u take the potatoes out of the oven. The slits shouldn't be sticking to each other. If the slits aren't sticking to each other, then u don't have to take the trouble of fanning it out.

3. Only if u fan out the potatoes (i.e, spread the slits), the butter can be brushed on the slits properly & it will seep in. If the slits are sticking to each other, the butter cannot seep into each slit & therefore ur potatoes will not turn out good. The garlic butter is the one that makes it very flavorful so it needs to seep deep into the potatoes.

4. Make sure only to use a very small spoon to fan out the slits otherwise the potatoes will break as the potatoes soften after each bake.

5. Use a pastry brush to baste the slits, only with the brush can u baste the inside & outside of the slits properly.

6. If the above mentioned quantity of butter isn't enough, then u can make more. If it's too much, then use the rest for the yogurt dip :-) 

Ingredients For Yogurt Dip

1. Hung yogurt 1/2 cup

2. Italian herbs or Italian seasoning 1 tbsp

3. Salt

4. Pepper

5. Garlic 3 cloves chopped finely 

6. Butter 2 tbsp 

Method Of Preparation 

1. Make the garlic infused butter (see step #9).

2. Take hung yogurt in a bowl.

3. Mix in the garlic butter with the yogurt & blend well.

4. Dip the potatoes in this or u can just spread this dip on top of the potatoes & relish it (see picture below).

5. Cut tomatoes, onions & cucumbers & add this dip to the veggies & relish it.