Hasselback Potatoes

5 from 2 votes

Aug 28, 2024

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Hasselback potatoes are the best! These are tender inside, crispy outside, and basted with savory garlic butter, perfect as a side or appetizer. And if you’ve never prepared Hasselback potatoes before, I have you covered with an easy potato-slicing trick.

If you and your family are just as big fans of potatoes as us, definitely try these parmesan crusted potatoes and smashed potatoes for dinner, next.

A fork pulling apart a hasselback potato topped with melted cheese.

Hasselback potatoes might be the best thing to happen to a baked potato. These are garlicky, crispy-outside, soft-inside potatoes basted with garlic butter and smothered with cheese. They’re sliced up like a loaf of bread (maybe that makes them the best thing since sliced bread, then?), but not all the way through. Just enough so that each thin slice crisps up in the hot oven, while the inside of the potato bakes until it’s meltingly tender.

What Makes These Hasselback Potatoes So Good

Crispy skins. Brushed with butter, the potato skins bake up golden in the oven. Leaving the skins on saves prep time and it also makes for the crispiest Hasselback potatoes.
Fun presentation. Classic baked potatoes are great, but Hasselback potatoes look much more polished on a serving platter! With buttery ridges and melted cheese, they’re fit for any occasion, even the holidays.
Easy. The best part is that with a sharp knife and a little patience, these Hasselback potatoes are SO simple to make. I use a set of chopsticks to make the slicing easier, but more on this later.

Overhead view of hasselback potatoes topped with melted parmesan on a wooden cutting board, next to lemon wedges.

Why Are They Called Hasselback?

Hasselback potatoes are named after the Hasselbacken restaurant in Sweden where they were invented. The Hasselback technique is a way of slicing potatoes not-quite-through in thin, even slices. The gaps between slices can be filled with seasonings or fillings like herbs, butter, and cheese (similar to a loaded potato).

Nowadays, you’ll find Hasselback-just-about-everything. Ham, zucchini, and even dessert versions with apples– you name it. My Hasselback chicken is another tasty variation that uses the same method!

Ingredients for hasselback potatoes with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Recipe Ingredients

I use just a few easy ingredients to flavor these Hasselback potatoes. Check out some quick notes here, and scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with recipe details.

Potatoes – Like baked potatoes, the best potatoes for Hasselback recipes are starchy potatoes with the skins left on. I use russets, but Yukon gold and Idaho potatoes also work well here. You can also make Hasselback sweet potatoes if you’d like.
Butter – I make homemade garlic butter sauce and brush it over the potatoes. Unsalted butter works best.
Garlic – Fresh cloves, finely minced.
Chopped Parsley – For garnish.
Shredded Cheese – I like to use Italian shredded cheese, like mozzarella or Parmesan. But just about any cheese works here. Other good options are cheddar, Swiss, and Gruyere cheese, or even a crumbly variety, like feta or goat cheese.

How to Make Hasselback Potatoes

Let’s walk through the simple steps to make perfect Hasselback potatoes!

Overhead view of hasselback potatoes in a metal baking pan. — 1. Slice the potatoes.

Garlic butter in a saucepan with a wooden spoon. — 1. Slice the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes. Use a sharp knife to slice each potato into thin slices, but not all the way through (use chopsticks! See below). You’ll want to leave about ¼ inch at the bottom intact. Arrange the Hasselback potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.
Make the garlic butter. In the meantime, prepare your garlic butter on the stovetop. The garlic cooks quickly in the butter (2-3 minutes), so be careful that it doesn’t burn. Afterward, brush the melted butter over the sliced potatoes.
Bake. Season the potatoes generously with salt and pepper, then bake in a 425ºF oven for about 45 minutes. The insides should be fork-tender and the outside skins should be nice and crisp.
Finish and serve. Finally, sprinkle over shredded cheese and return the potatoes to the oven. Once the cheese melts, garnish with parsley, and serve!

Overhead view of a sliced hasselback potato resting between two chopsticks, surrounded by more hasselback potatoes and a knife on a wooden cutting board.

The Easiest Way to Cut Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback potatoes take a bit of extra time to prep, but this slicing trick has saved me LOADS of time in that department. I place two wooden chopsticks on either side of the potato to hold it in place, as pictured. You can also use two wooden spoons. Not only do the chopsticks keep the potato from slipping, but they also stop the knife from cutting all the way through. Easy!

Hasselback potatoes topped with melty cheese are arranged on a wooden cutting board.

Tips and Variations

Grease the baking sheet. It helps keep the potatoes from sticking. Even better, line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
Don’t slice all the way through. Very important! See my tip in the How To section above. The bottom of the potato should stay intact. Work slowly to cut thin, even slices.
Add salt. Because salt and baked potatoes go together like peanut butter and jelly! Salt makes the crispy skins extra delicious.
Different herbs. You can baste these Hasselback potatoes with just about any flavored butter you’d like. Add herbs like rosemary, thyme, or parsley right into the melted butter so that the flavors infuse.
Give it some kick. Sprinkle the tops of your potatoes with red pepper flakes, Cajun seasoning, or jerk seasoning for a spicy kick.
Make them mini. Use the Hasselback technique with smaller potatoes, like baby potatoes, and follow the recipe as written to make fun and easy, bite-sized appetizers.

Serving Suggestions

Hasselback potatoes are the best side dish! Serve them with braised lamb shanks at the holidays with more festive sides like stuffing and bacon-wrapped green beans. At any other time of the year, I’ll never pass up a Hasselback potato as a side to BBQ ribs or oven-grilled steak, with a family-style Cobb salad for sharing.

Two hasselback potatoes served on a dinner plate.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerate. Once the potatoes are cool, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat. Warm the Hasselback potatoes in the oven to crisp up the outside while the inside heats through. You can use the microwave in a pinch, but the skins won’t be as crispy.

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5 from 2 votes