Hasselhoff Potatoes

I love a hasselback. Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle – bit like me, really. For hasselbacks, I like a good sized Maris Piper, the same sort of size you’d have for a jacket potato. Here’s your ingredients list, so get yourself down the shop and get cooking!

• 1 large potato per person (like a russet or Yukon gold potato)
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Some oil
• 2 tbsp butter

You can do little baby spuds, check out my Maple-Glazed Snacklebacks Wrapped In Bacon or Salt n Pepper Snacklebacks for instructions on cooking times for the little babies!

Grab 2 utensils that are about the same thickness and put them either side of your potato. You want to make cuts all the way along the potatoes, but only 3/4 of the way through so you get a fan on the top. Use your hands to open up each of the cuts for maximum crispiness.

Rub in the oil

Drizzle some vegetable oil over the potatoes and season well with fine table salt, then get your hands in and really rub the oil into each cut – this is what helps them go crispy!

Roast your hasselbacks on a tray for around 25 minutes at 200ºc/400ºf until golden brown, and meanwhile make  your garlic butter. If you want to change these hasselbacks up you can make a little spice blend to sprinkle over before they go in the oven. Have a look at my Giant Hasselback recipe!

Garlic butter makes everything better

For these particular hasselbacks I wanted them to be buttery and rich, so I’ve made a very simple garlic butter to glaze over my potatoes. Of course, you can glaze your hasselbacks with whatever you like but I love Honey Garlic Glazed Hasselbacks, they go so sticky and delicious.

Finely grate or mince your garlic into melted butter and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix everything together, and then when your hasselbacks are golden but not fully cooked brush your butter all over the spuds.

Use a table knife to separate all of the slits in the top of the potato – you don’t have to do this, but it helps them go crispier!

Finish off your hasselbacks

Return your garlic buttery spuds to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until they reach maximum crispiness and are soft all the way through.

Give your spuds a good brush with any garlic butter that has leaked onto the baking tray to give them a final shine. Sprinkle with the obligatory handful of flaky sea salt and serve these up on the side of steaks, meats or even top them like a jacket potato!