Hasselback Potatoes
Though I love my sister dearly, we have one major point of contention: whether potatoes or bananas are healthier. With all due respect to the banana, I consider potatoes vastly superior. Contrary to popular belief, not all carbs are bad for you, and spuds - a whole food - are packed with vitamin B, vitamin C and potassium, among other nutrients. They are also available locally year round and even organic, specialty varieties are inexpensive. Potatoes even nurtured an empire - the Incas of Peru - who built Machu Picchu. I'm pretty sure bananas never did that.
Here, I gussied up the everyday baked potato by slicing it before baking. I opted for Yukon Golds - but most varieties will work well. I've even used this technique on fingerling potatoes, for a fancy hors d'oeuvre. Though I prepared these simply - and kept things vegan - with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper, these can be dressed up if you're feeling decadent. Cheese can be stuffed in every crevice! And you can never go wrong with sour cream and chives.
Hasselback Potatoes
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
4 Yukon Gold potatoes - about 1/2 pound each
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place a potato on a large wooden spoon, then slice each potato and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch intervals (the wooden spoon will prevent you from slicing completely through the potato). Repeat process until all potatoes are sliced.
Drizzle prepared potatoes with half of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on a line baking sheet, cut side up.
Bake the potatoes until tender and golden – about 45 minutes – drizzling with the remaining olive oil halfway through. These are best served warm, right out of the oven. Note that baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes.
