Hasselback Potatoes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with garlic butter in every slice. They look impressive, but with my step-by-step photos they are something that even a novice cook can make. They are brushed with garlic butter before baking and again halfway through. As the thinly sliced potatoes cook, they fan open, allowing that second layer of butter to get between each slice.
Why This Recipe Works
- Thin 1/8-inch slices: Keep the inside tender while creating lots of crispy edges.
- Butter and olive oil: Butter adds flavor to the potatoes while olive oil helps the potatoes brown.
- Seasoned twice: We brush the potatoes with a seasoned butter mixture halfway through baking so it gets down between the slices once they begin to fan open.
- Easy cutting trick: Using wooden skewers (chopsticks or wooden spoon handles) prevents your knife from slicing all the way through the potato.
How to Make Hasselback Potatoes
- Place an unpeeled potato between two wooden skewers (chopsticks or wooden spoons) to act as guides. This will prevent you from cutting all the way through the potato, keeping it intact.
- Starting where the base of the potato curves down and meets the cutting board, slice down the potato in 1/8-inch cuts, letting the skewers stop the knife before it cuts all the way through. Work slowly; each potato should take only a minute or two. Don’t worry if a sliver detaches. Just tuck it back in and keep going.
- Combine butter, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic. Brush half the mixture over the potatoes.
- Halfway through baking, remove the potatoes from the oven. Put a fork under the potato in the middle, and gently lift it about two inches off the baking sheet. The potato will be weighed down at either end and open up more. Use a fork to spread the potatoes open from the top. Brush on the remaining butter mixture and return to the oven for the remaining baking time.
- Continue baking for the remaining time. The potatoes are done when the outsides are crisp, and the insides are fork tender and soft.
Best Potatoes for Hasselback Potatoes
I prefer russet potatoes for Hasselback potatoes because their high starch gives you a fluffy center and crisp edges. They are also a great option for twice-baked potatoes! Yukon Gold potatoes can also be used. They will just have a creamier, more buttery interior.
Tips for Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
- Make sure the slices are thin. You are aiming for 1/8-inch thick so the edges have time to crisp.
- Don’t skip the second brushing. Since the potatoes open as they bake, adding a second coat of garlic butter halfway through baking improves the crispiness.
- Gently separate the slices. Use a fork to gently lift the potato from the bottom in the middle. This helps open the potato. Then from the top use a fork to further separate the slices. This allows the butter to reach in between the slices.
- Serve right away. These are best enjoyed (and crispiest) right out of the oven.
What are Hasselback Potatoes?
Hasselback potatoes are whole potatoes that are thinly sliced almost all of the way through, leaving the bottom of the potato intact. As they bake, the slices fan open and get crispy around the edges while staying soft in the center. They get their name from a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, Hasselbacken, where they were believed to be invented.
Variations
- Make Hasselback sweet potatoes. This Hasselback sweet potatoes recipe is sweetened with maple syrup and is so delicious!
- Spice up the seasonings. I love the combination of butter and garlic, but herbs like rosemary, thyme, or parsley would add some extra flavor.
- Add toppings. Top the potatoes with bacon, sour cream, or a little parmesan cheese.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store your leftover Hasselback potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the potato is warmed through. Or reheat in the air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through and crispy.
What to Serve with Hasselback Potatoes
These potatoes are such a delicious complement to a hot meal. Serve with Italian Green Beans or Honey Roasted Carrots and a protein for a well-rounded dinner.
If you make these potatoes or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment letting me know what you think!
Recipe Video
Hasselback Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes scrubbed with the skins still on
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- dash of black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place two wooden skewers (chopsticks or wooden spoon handles) on either side of a potato. Starting where the potato curves down and its bottom meets the cutting board (this will prevent you from cutting off the end of the potato), create slices down the length of the potato, 1/8 inch thick. Use the wooden skewers as a guide so that the knife doesn't go all the way through the potatoes. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and place them on the baking sheet.6 medium russet potatoes
- In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic. Brush half the mixture over the potatoes.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, dash of black pepper, 3 garlic cloves
- Bake for an hour. Halfway through baking, remove the potatoes from the oven. Put a fork under the potato in the middle of it, and gently lift it about two inches off the baking sheet. This will help the potato open up more (repeat with the rest of the potatoes).
- Then, gently use a fork to spread the potatoes open from the top. Brush on the remaining butter mixture and return to the oven for the remaining baking time. The potatoes are done when the edges are crisp and the centers are fork-tender and soft.
Chris says
At the hour mark we take them out and tear/ cut sliced cheese into fourth’s. Using 8 quarter slices and stick them in between the potato slices and back in the oven for 15 minutes or until melted.