Hasselback Potatoes: A Show-Stopping Recipe for Your Dinner Table

There’s a reason hasselback potatoes feel like a small celebration on your plate. Thin, accordion-like slices crisp into golden edges while the interior stays pillowy and tender, yielding a joyous contrast of textures.

Each ridge soaks up butter, herbs, and smoke-kissed salt for concentrated flavor that’s impossible to resist. Make them once, and they become your secret showstopper side dish for dinners, holiday spreads, or a weekend indulgence that somehow feels both elegant and comfortingly familiar.

With a few simple techniques and a little patience, you’ll pull perfectly fanned, ultra-crisp hasselback potatoes every time.

The Best Hasselback Potatoes You’ll Ever Make

Hasselback potatoes succeed because they maximize surface area, turning ordinary spuds into textural showpieces.

The thin slices create countless edges that brown and crisp, producing complex Maillard flavors you get from roasting and frying at once.

Cutting almost through the potato ensures the interior stays intact and steamy, so you get a soft, almost mashed center that contrasts beautifully with the crisp ridges.

Basting with butter and oil does two jobs – it transfers flavor and lubricates the surface so heat can caramelize starches evenly.

Adding a final sprinkle of cheese or herbs leverages residual heat to melt and toast those finishing flavors for an aromatic finish.

The Flavor-Building Cast of Hasselback Potatoes

• 6 medium Yukon Gold or Maris Piper potatoes – 900g / 2 lb: waxy starch profile keeps the slices intact and yields creamy interiors.
• 80g unsalted butter, melted – 1/3 cup: saturated fats promote browning and carry fat-soluble flavors into the slits.
• 30ml olive oil – 2 tbsp: monounsaturated fats raise the smoke point and help form crisp edges.
• 3g flaky sea salt – 1/2 tsp: larger crystals deliver bursts of salinity without over-salting the interior.
• 2g freshly ground black pepper – 1/2 tsp: adds aromatic piquancy via volatile terpenes released when heated.
• 15g fresh thyme leaves – 1 tbsp: herb volatile oils infuse into hot fat for layered aroma.
• 30g grated Parmesan – 1/4 cup: protein and fat brown into umami-rich, crunchy shards.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

• Sharp chef’s knife.
• Pair of chopsticks or wooden spoons (as slicing guides).
• Roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.
• Pastry brush for basting.

Turning Potatoes Into Crispy, Butter-Bathed Masterpieces

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F and position a rack in the center. Scrub each potato thoroughly and dry with a towel so oil adheres and steam won’t prevent crisping.
2. Place a potato on a cutting board and lay a chopstick along each side. Using a sharp knife, slice vertically about 3 mm apart, stopping when the blade hits the chopsticks so the base remains intact. You’ll feel the satisfying resistance as you near the end of each cut.
3. Arrange potatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. The exposed ridges will already look promising – small valleys and peaks awaiting caramelization.
4. Combine melted butter and olive oil, then brush the mixture generously over each potato, taking care to work some fat down between the slices with the brush or your fingers. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper so crystals sit on the ridges.
5. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes. After 20-25 minutes, baste again so the melted fat redistributes and encourages even browning. You’ll hear faint sizzling and smell a rich, toasty aroma as sugars and proteins brown.
6. When edges are deeply golden, and interiors test tender with a skewer, remove from the oven. Sprinkle grated Parmesan and thyme into the slits and on top; return for 4 to 6 minutes so cheese melts and crisps into nutty flakes.
7. Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the steam settles and flavors concentrate. Expect a crisp, shattering exterior followed by a silky, aromatic interior that practically melts on the tongue.

Kitchen Confidences: Little Tricks Chefs Use for Perfect Hasselbacks

Choose the right potato

Waxy varieties like Yukon Gold or Maris Piper hold their shape and provide a creamy interior. High-starch russets will crisp beautifully but can become too crumbly if overcooked.

Slicing consistency is everything

Use chopsticks or wooden spoons as guards to ensure uniform slice depth. Even spacing helps the potatoes cook evenly and creates those photo-ready ridges.

Baste in stages

Brush with fat before roasting and mid-roast for deep color and flavor penetration. Cold butter straight from the fridge can close the cuts, so use melted butter or room temperature fat.

Finish for texture

A final sprinkle of hard cheese, panko, or chopped nuts adds toasted texture. Add delicate herbs like parsley after baking to keep them bright and fresh.

How to Store Hasselback Potatoes?

• Room temperature: Serve within two hours for best crispness.

• Fridge: Store in an airtight container up to 3 days; re-crisp in a hot oven at 200°C / 400°F for 8-10 minutes.

• Freezer: Not recommended as texture suffers; if necessary, freeze wrapped for up to one month and reheat slowly.

Variations and Substitutions

• Garlic and herb butter: Mix minced garlic and parsley into the butter before basting.

• Cheesy gratin style: layer thin slices of Gruyere between slits and finish under a broiler.

• Smoky paprika and chorizo crumbs: sprinkle smoked paprika and crisped chorizo over the top for a Spanish twist.

• Vegan: replace butter with coconut oil or vegan butter and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan.

Nutrition Information

A serving is roughly 250 calories, with potassium, vitamin C, and dietary fiber from the potatoes. Moderate in fat due to butter and oil.

Gluten-free by default; not dairy-free unless you swap the butter and cheese; not keto-friendly because potatoes are high in carbs.

Frequently Asked Questions