The Best Hasselback Potato Recipe

This buttery-cheesy Hasselback Potato Recipe is full of herbs, onions, and garlic and it’s brimming with flavor. An abundance of butter and melting cheese seep down into the grooves for an incredibly delicious side dish. The slices of potatoes are arranged as a ring in a cast-iron skillet and then baked in the oven until they are perfectly tender.

I'm madly in love with potatoes! Any way you want to fix 'em, I'll likely devour them and ask for seconds. Scallop potatoes, mashed potatoes, crispy hashbrown potatoes, potatoes on the grill, loaded potato skins, and the list goes on and on. The comfort associated with these rugged brown wonders is second to none.

The Best Hasselback Potato Recipe

What are Hasselback Potatoes?

The original recipe is a type of baked potato that is cut into thin, "fanned-out" slices but not sliced all the way through. Although this potato recipe here is not a true "Hasselback," it is a variation of the original idea but with loads of cheese, garlic, and butter.

Why is it called Hasselback?

It is speculated that in 1953, Leif Elisson, a trainee chef at a restaurant in Stockholm Sweden named Hasselbacken created the first Hasselback potato. This new potato idea gained huge popularity because of its crispy, crunchy exterior but with a soft and tender interior. And what originated in Sweden eventually became a hit around the world. 

What are the ingredients?

• Potatoes - Russet and/or Idaho potatoes, because of their starchiness, seem to work best with recipes for Hasselback potatoes.
• Olive Oil - There are two applications of olive oil. One for smearing on the potato slices and one to coat the skillet before assembling the dish.
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper - The salt and pepper are according to your taste preference. 
• Fresh Rosemary - Rosemary and potatoes always pair well together. This herb creates an earthy and lemony undertone.
• Onions and Garlic - These aromatics are sliced very thin to stuff in between the potato slices. Together they are the bedrock of this savory potato dish.
• Butter - The butter helps bind the grated cheeses together making it easier to stuff into the crevices of the potatoes.
• Cheeses - Use both white cheddar and parmesan cheese that has been freshly grated. You could substitute other types of cheeses if you prefer. Smoked gouda would be awesome as well.
• Sour Cream and Chopped Chives - these are optional but add a nice garnishment to the dish.

How to Make Hasselback Potatoes

• Slice the Potatoes. For convenience's sake, I pulled out my trusted mandoline which hasn't been used in a while and it was feeling somewhat neglected. So, I gave it some love today. I set the measurement between ⅛ and 3/16 of an inch. This setting made the slices hardy enough to hold their shape in the heat of the oven.
  • Can you use a sharp knife? Absolutely. This will work just as well. The prep time will take a bit longer, but the end results will be the same. The key is to cut the potato slices similar in thickness so they cook evenly.

• Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and fresh rosemary. Place the slices into a large mixing bowl and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Using your hands, smear the oil over all the slices of potatoes. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and chopped rosemary over the potatoes and, again, use your hands to make sure every slice is coated.

• Arrange the potato slices in a large cast iron skillet. Start on the outer part of a large 12-inch cast-iron (or any oven-proof) casserole dish. Position a stack of potatoes sideways of the skillet (see photo below). Continue working around the outer portion as you complete the ring of potato slices. Then work your way into the center doing the same until you end with a small circle in the center.
  • Pro Tip. Don't squeeze the potato slices so tight next to each other that it will be hard to add the cheese. You literally want to load up this skillet with a bunch of cheesy, buttery "goodness" in between each slice.

• Stuff the Hasselback Potatoes with Onions and Garlic. Work your way around the skillet as you gently stuff in thinly sliced onions and garlic between every two or three potato slices. This doesn't have to be perfect because there's really no rhyme or reason to it. All you're looking for are flavors to be submerged down in between the slices.

• Add Butter and Cheese between the Potato Slices. Then, of course, comes the best part of all - a buttery cheesy beautiful mess! Grated parmesan and white cheddar are held together by mixing in one cup of butter and crumbling it all altogether. Then you take small amounts and press them into some of the crevices between slices ending with lots of small dollops on top.

• Cook this pan of Hasselback potatoes. All of this goes into a 350°F oven for about an hour and 20 minutes. Mine was browning a little more than I wanted, therefore I covered it with foil for the last 20 minutes so it would not burn. When I pulled it out and tested it with a fork, it was perfect! Nice and tender with very little resistance to the fork, which is what I wanted.

How to Prevent Cut Potatoes from Turning Brown

Uncooked sliced potatoes will begin to discolor rather rapidly when exposed to the air. To prevent this, place the potato slices in a large bowl of cold water as you are slicing them. Be careful not to leave them too long (no more than 2 hours) in the water, as their nutrients will eventually leech out into the water.

How to Serve these Hasselback Potatoes

Sour Cream is a perfect complement to these crispy, tender potatoes. For this dish, I added three large dollops of sour cream and chives in the center of the finished dish and placed an extra bowl of sour cream to pass around the table. 

What to Serve with this Hasselback Potato Recipe.

This is a rustic but elegant dish that can be served as a holiday side dish next to an Herbed Crown Roast of Pork, Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin, or this Boneless Leg of Lamb. It also serves wonderfully as a casual side dish alongside a Bison Burger or a simple Turkey Burger. 

How to Choose the Right Potato 

Russet potatoes are the best for this recipe because the flesh of a Russet is dry which softens to a tender interior when baking. And the skin of a Russet is thick and tough which holds the slices together while in the oven.

When choosing russet potatoes for this recipe, it's best to go with larger, fatter ones. And it's helpful to pick those that are about the same size. This ensures consistency when placing the slices side by side in the cast iron skillet. You want a uniform look when it is finished. 

These russet potatoes decided to get dressed up for this recipe as a tempting display of rustic beauty. If there is such a thing as "sexy" comfort food, this is definitely it. It is comforting because the tender roasted potato slices encase a superabundance of flavor, butter, and cheeses. A beautiful presentation that delivers charm and attraction to your table. Time to DIG IN!!

Other Potato Recipes

Grilled Potatoes and Onions in Foil

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Grilled Smoky Sweet Potato Rounds

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