These are Hasseltots…. teeny tiny potatoes, cut hasselback style. Contrary to the autocorrect on my phone, these are NOT Hasselhofs. As far as I know, The Hof is not involved with my lunchtime kitchen activities (shudder), but I’ve had to correct the autocorrect more than a few times.
Autocorrect is annoying. These Hasseltots are delicious. Hands down yummy.
Also, might be kid friendly (minus the greenery?) because they are “snackable” and taste a lot like french fries.
So Hasselback Potatoes…. I think that most of you know the story (and the reoccurring results) of my Hasselback Potato Skillet Bake winning the Idaho Potato Recipe of the year about a million years ago (back in 2015). The recipe resurrects itself every now and again and I make it for myself sort of often. Many of you also know that I spend a lot of time randomly pondering “How can I make this recipe better?” for lots of my recipes. Well, I got to thinking about that this afternoon, after finding some perfectly sized russet potatoes (on the small side): How do I make Hasselback potatoes even better? They are already sort of like a baked/jacket potatao meets potato chips/crisps, so why not not go all in: bacon (and the bacon fat)…. cheddar … scallions. Yup, these Bacon + Cheddar Hasselback Potatoes are sort of a love child between baked potatoes, potato skins and chips. Serve with sour cream. Add on some pickled jalapenos and serve with guacamole. Simply to die for.
Hasselback potatoes are definitely comfort food to me! Long time followers of this page will know that I am very proud of this style of potato: back in 2015, I even won a contest with this recipe put on by the Idaho Potato Commission and if it’s one thing that Idaho knows, it’s potatoes. 🙂 These take a bit of time (usually right around an hour, although if you have larger potatoes, they can take a little longer), and they take a little bit of precision to make, but I think that they are worth it. My trick for not cutting all the way through the potato is to put a chop stick on either side o the potato so I don’t slice all the way down to the cutting board. If you aren’t a fan of garlic, you can omit it, though I do think the fresh herbs are nice in the basting butter.
Today is of course Pi Day in the US…. yes, we silly people who put month, then day, so … 3.14 aka Pie Day. Just to be silly, I did make a pie. Hasselback-Style Pear and Walnut Tart… OK, I guess it’s a Tart not a Pie. Oh well. It doesn’t look might much because the custard drowned the hasselback-style pears, but it still tastes good.
Look! Another apple pie! Are you surprised? There must be about 20 on this here site. I love apple pie.
And I love this whole “hassleback” cut. I usually do it of course with potatoes (like here), but it also works with apples and even cucumbers! I thought it was a lovely presentation with the pie, and the apples peeking out. Also, it’s fall so there are some pretty leaves. Lovely.