Hasselback Potato Skillet – Spuds Styled New For Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving change things up with Hasselback Potatoes. You have baked them, mashed them, roasted them, now it’s time to give the must have spuds on your Thanksgiving table a twist. Hasselback Potatoes are one of the unique new dishes most likely to be served for Thanksgiving 2015. It’s impressive to serve and comes out perfectly with crispy edges and a soft creamy centers. The best part is that it takes very little extra effort compared to what you might put in to make a baked potato.

Its origin is supposedly rooted in Sweden and the Restaurant Hasselbacken, hence the name. However, it is also often called Accordion Potatoes or Pillbug Potatoes. You can use just about any type of potato to make this dish and it doesn’t need to be russet potatoes, like the baked potato. I’m using red potatoes for this recipe. I like the little bit of color that it gives. I also use a skillet to bake them in. You can use a cast iron skillet to enhance the flavors and give this dish a more rustic element, however a casserole dish will work just as well. This recipe serves a small family of three for an intimate Thanksgiving dinner, which I think this style of potatoes is perfect for compared to a big casserole. You can multiply the quantity as needed. So, here is the recipe for your rounds of crispy bliss this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Hasselback Potato Skillet – Twist to the Usual Spuds for Thanksgiving Sides

Serves 3

Ingredients

3 to 4 red potatoes based on skillet size

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoons finely minced rosemary

1 tablespoons finely minced parsley or thyme (you can use your preferred herbs)

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 425º F.
Scrub the potatoes thoroughly and remove all the hard bits from the skin, as the skins will be left on.
Slice one thin layer off each potato, along the length, then set aside. This serves as a solid base to rest on while you slice them.
To slice the potatoes, place a potato flat side-down and use a sharp knife to make slices that are about 1/8-inch apart; slice into the potato but not completely through it — the slices should stay connected at the bottom (Use a chopstick on either side of the potato so that you hit the chopstick before slicing all the way through). Carefully fan out the sliced pieces without breaking them apart. Repeat with each potato.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, and minced herbs. Set aside.
Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a cast iron skillet or baking dish.
Brush each potato with the garlic-herb butter mixture. Brush the potatoes generously, making sure to get in-between each slice. Reserve 1/3 of the garlic-herb butter for basting. Nestle the potatoes into the skillet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.
Bake for 1 hour — basting the potatoes every 15 minutes with the remaining garlic-herb butter — or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Serve immediately in the skillet or individually on plates.