Hasselbacks Food

HASSELBACKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• The fun and unique part of this side dish is that you need to slice multiple times through the potatoes, but - importantly - without going all the way through, giving you a kind of concertina-style potato. This looks beautiful but also makes them wonderfully absorbent of flavour and amplifies their crispiness. Try to choose small potatoes, give them a wash, and if you have any larger ones, cut them in half and use the flat side as a base.
• To make this process as simple as possible, place a potato on a board between the handles of two wooden spoons, so that when you slice down into the potato the spoons stop the blade from going all the way through.
• Carefully slice at just under ½cm intervals all the way along. Repeat with all the potatoes, placing them in a large roasting tray as you go.
• Pick half the thyme leaves into a pestle and mortar and pound with the turkey dripping or oil. Spoon over the potatoes, making sure the fat gets down into the cuts you've made, then season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are golden and tender.
• Meanwhile, tear the bread into a baking dish, add the hazelnuts and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool, then tip into a food processor, strip in most of the remaining thyme leaves, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and half the cheese, and pulse into coarse crumbs.
• When the hour is up, sprinkle the crumbs over the potatoes, then finely crumble a little bit of the remaining blue cheese on to each one.
• Dress the rest of the thyme sprigs with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle randomly on top. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt, then serve.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Peel the potatoes, and place in bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Place potatoes into a large wooden or metal spoon. Using a sharp knife, make slices across the potato the short way about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart, making sure to cut down to the lip of the spoon, not all the way through the potato. The slices should stay connected at the bottom, and the spoon helps keep the depth even. Return the potato to the bowl of water, and proceed with the remaining potatoes.
• When all of the potatoes are cut, place them cut side up in a shallow baking dish or small roasting pan. Drizzle with half of the butter, then season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the remaining butter. Sprinkle Romano cheese and bread crumbs onto the tops of the potatoes, and season with a little more salt and pepper. Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes and pat them dry.
• Place 2 chopsticks along either long side of a potato. Using a long paring or chef's knife, score the potato down to the chopsticks (the chopsticks act as a stopgap, keeping you from cutting all the way through the potato). Cut slits 1/8 inch apart all the way down the length of the potato. Repeat with the second potato.
• Place the potatoes on a baking dish and brush with half the butter and sprinkle with some of the thyme and salt and pepper.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, brush with the remaining butter and continue baking until cooked through, about 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with more thyme and the Parmesan and bake for 5 minutes more before serving.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Peel potatoes. Cut each potato not quite through in a series of crosswise slices about 1/4-inch apart or closer so that they are still joined together at the bottom. Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place in a small baking pan. Pour the chicken stock around the potatoes and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the potatoes are half cooked, 25 to 30 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the butter-chicken stock mixture.
• In a small bowl combine the grated cheese and bread crumbs and divide the mixture evenly between the tops of the 2 potatoes. Continue roasting without any further basting until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

HASSELBACK POTATOES (HASSELBACKSPOTATIS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
• Cut thin, cross-length slices three quarters of the way into each potato, and eighth of an inch apart (or as close as you can), being careful not to cut all the way through. Place in bowl of cold water to prevent discoloring. Set aside.
• To prepare the topping, in small saucepan heat 1/2 cup olive oil over low heat, add garlic, and simmer until garlic is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside 1 tablespoon of oil. Combine garlic, bread crumbs, lemon zest, parsley, butter and salt and pepper. (Reserving lemon juice for later.).
• Remove potatoes from water and pat dry with paper towels. In small baking dish, place potatoes cut side up. Divide bread-crumb mixture evenly over potatoes, and press gently into cuts using your fingertips.
• Bake until potatoes are soft and browned on top, about 45 minutes. If the topping starts to burn before potatoes are done, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• While potatoes are baking prepare the vinaigrette by whisking 1 tablespoon of reserved oil into lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a small amount of vinaigrette onto each potato.

BACON HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Lay the bacon pieces on a baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts in each potato, about 1/8 inch apart, stopping about 1/4 inch from the bottom.
• Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and carefully transfer to a baking sheet; let cool slightly. Pat the potatoes dry, then insert 3 pieces of the frozen bacon into the cuts of each potato, spacing the bacon evenly and letting it poke out of the top. Melt 5 tablespoons butter and brush generously over the potatoes and in the cuts. Reserve any excess butter for basting. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake until the outsides are browned and crisp, about 2 hours, basting halfway through with the reserved melted butter.
• When the potatoes are almost done, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and mix with the scallions, parsley and garlic. Spoon over the potatoes and roast 5 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and season with salt and pepper.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Stir together the butter, olive oil, chives and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Place a potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons or 2 chopsticks. Slice the potato into thin slices, leaving 1/4 inch at the bottom unsliced; the spoon handles will prevent you from slicing the potato all the way through. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
• Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush on the butter mixture, making sure to get in between all the slices. Bake until tender and crisp, 55 to 60 minutes.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Use a metal skewer and insert through the back of one of the flatter sides of the potato. It should go through most of the potato. Place on a chopping board, skewer-side down, and slice through the potato (be careful not to cut all the way through on both ends). You can also put each potato in-between two handles of wooden spoons, and cut through to the spoon, if this is easier for you. A sharp knife will help to make slices a few mm apart. Remove the skewer and repeat with the remaining potatoes.
• Put the potatoes cut-side up on a shallow baking tray and drizzle over the oil. Rub each potato with your hands to coat well in the oil, getting some in between the slices. Toss in the bashed garlic, rosemary, and season well. Roast for 50 mins - 1 hr until the potatoes are tender throughout and the tops are golden and crisp. Baste with any oil in the pan halfway cooking to get extra crisp potatoes.