Hasselback potatoes

Hasselback potatoes

Hasselback potatoes or Potato à la Hasselbacken (Swedish: hasselbackspotatis) are baked potatoes cut about halfway through into thin, fan-like slices. Hasselbacking is done to a fruit or vegetable to create artful-looking food while adding more flavor. Hasselbacking creates a crispy outside while allowing the flavors to penetrate the potato, leaving the inside fluffy.

Hasselback potatoes can be served as a main course, a side dish, or canapé. Various toppings, such as caraway seeds, paprika, cheese, bacon, and breadcrumbs, can be added for extra flavor.

Techniques

One technique to achieve Hasselback potatoes is to place chopsticks on both sides of the potato. This will allow a stopping point for the knife, so the potato isn't cut through.

Origins

Hasselback potatoes get their name from the restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm Sweden. Hasselback is the Swedish word for hazel and slope as the restaurant was located near a thicket of hazel trees on a steep mountain. In 1953, student chef Leif Elison served the dish, and it was a hit. Later, in 1955, credit went to the restaurant school principal. However, there is a recipe for “Oven Fried Potatoes” in the 1929 cookbook "Prinsessornas Kokbok" by Jenny Åkerström, leaving the question of who served them first.