These baked Hasselback potatoes have a tradition of almost 70 years, being created and served for the first time in the famous Hasselback Restaurant in Stockholm. “Restaurang Hasselbacken” opened around the 1700s in the form of a tavern and that evolved into a luxury restaurant, so in 1853 it was already famous in all the elegant receptions.
Hasselbackspotatis (Swedish lb.) were introduced to the menu only in the 1940-50s and were a great success. Not only because they are very tasty but also because they look great! They can be a stand-alone vegetarian dish or a side dish with steaks, sausages, etc.
I searched for the traditional recipe for these Hasselback potatoes and found it right on a Swedish site that promotes their national cuisine: swedishfood.com. It’s one of the best-baked potato recipes!
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- Bacon grease or Olive oil
- Garlic
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt and Pepper
Preparation:
Hasselback potatoes are extremely easy to make.
Simply hold a potato at one end, and gently slice thin sections about two-thirds the way down into the potato, leaving the base solid.
First, slice the potatoes thinly, leaving a 1/2 inch base at the bottom to hold them together.
Roast the sliced potatoes on a prepared baking sheet with olive oil (or bacon grease,) fresh rosemary sprigs, and smashed garlic cloves.
Halfway through cooking, brush the herb-infused oil over the surface of the potatoes, making sure it seeps down into the layers, and continue roasting in the oven until crispy.
The Nordics are big butter enthusiasts so these Hasselback potatoes are well seasoned in melted butter. Their savior is unique! The butter is slightly caramelized during baking and emits that unique aroma of fried peanuts (beurre noisette). If you don’t want to use butter, you will need to replace the butter with quality olive oil.
Enjoy!