This is, hands down, my new favourite way to cook potatoes. Hasselback potatoes are created by thinly slicing a skin-on potato almost to the bottom, but leaving the potato intact, and then baking in the oven. These crispy little beauties become vessels of flavour, ready to receive anything you might want to throw at them.
A neat little trick to get these just right is to place two wooden spoons on the chopping board either side of the potato, so the knife hits the spoon handles, preventing you from slicing all the way through, and producing uniform ridges.
Rub with olive oil and sea salt, bake them in the oven and they are an incredible addition to any meal, and they will up your presentation game no end. But take it a step further and you’ll be in potato heaven. These gorgeous little things trap flavour in their grooves, and so become a culinary canvas with endless possibilities. You can treat them like jacket potatoes or loaded fries and smother them with your favourite toppings. They hold sauce particularly well, which is why I created this recipe for Hasselback Potatoes With Spicy Chorizo Cream Sauce.
This dish works perfectly as a decadent side dish for a dinner party, or even on its own as an indulgent snack. The sauce can be kept separate and drizzled over the potatoes on the plate, but by covering them in the sauce and baking them a second time, topped with melted cheese, it becomes a different animal altogether.
