In my pursuit of cuisine around the world, I must admit that the traditional food of one country in particular has generally left me cold. Pickled, boiled, fermented, and overly-spiced, too. But, mostly, cold.
Fortunately, even Sweden can't ruin a potato. At least, not every time out. Good to know, because I have an empty file folder for Sweden, and it might fill fast now that I've connected the dots between Sweden and Hasselback Potatoes.
Not Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Hasselback. As in Hasselback Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. As in the restaurant named "Hasselbacken" where Hasselback Potatoes were first served.
I had completely forgotten about Hasselback Potatoes. I had seen them before and even made them before. It's just that the word "Hasselback" didn't get the necessary attribution to make the mental connection in whatever recipe I used.
During a TV lull one Saturday morning, I caught the middle of Sunny Anderson's "Cooking for Real." It was the "Bistro Night In" episode, where I also picked up a great 30-minute brine solution for chicken. While she was prepping the potatoes, I remembered that I had made them before, but I recalled something in the "time-consuming" and "frustrating" category.
She had a great trick. She was using red new potatoes -- not the big russets I had used -- about the size of a large wooden spoon bowl. And, the trick to cutting each potato without slicing all the way through it was to place it in the bowl of the wooden spoon and cut until the wood stopped the knife. Brilliant! I ran to the website and printed out all the recipes.
I bought a bunch of beautiful red potatoes just around New Years, and they sat on the counter for days. Finally the night arrived, and I made my regular roasted new potatoes for the rest of the family, but made two whole potatoes for myself in the Hasselback style.
All I can say is, the house smelled like a high-end bistro, and the potatoes were amazing. After roasting for an hour, the result was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. This recipe is a keeper.
Frankly, this recipe is a keeper largely because of garlic and sour cream. Not that the other Hasselback Potatoes recipes out there lack merit. Some of them are probably very good. Especially the ones that call for loading bread crumbs cut with parmesan cheese over the top. I will conduct rigorous kitchen testing and report back. (Insert smiley face here.)
But, if you like the smell of roasting garlic in your home, do the Hasselback posted here.
It's well worth the after-dinner breath mint.
Garlic Hasselback Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream
Makes 4 servings
16 ounces red new potatoes
3 to 5 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
4 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Herbed Sour Cream (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top, making sure not to slice completely through. Place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato. Toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter and top with Herbed Sour Cream.
Herbed Sour Cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste, and refrigerate until ready to use.
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