This Hasselback potatoes recipe dresses up plain old baked potatoes and turn them into something truly special! These specially cut potatoes burst with buttery flavor in nearly every bite because the butter can seep into the cuts. This is a must make any time you want to really bring the wow factor your dinner table!
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What are hasselback potatoes?
"Hasselback" refers to a roasting technique where you cut thin slices into a potato without cutting all the way through. You then spread butter, salt, pepper, or other seasonings into slices before baking or roasting the potato.
Our recipe uses the same technique that originally made Hasselback potatoes famous, but we also show you how to make these famous spuds in the air fryer.
Hasselback Potatoes Video Recipe
Why are they called hasselback potatoes?
Hasselback potatoes get their name from the Hasselbacken Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden where the roasting technique first started. The technique involves cutting thin slices across the potato but not cutting all the way through.
Ingredients to make Best Hasselback Potatoes
You’ll need to have the following ingredients ready when you want to make this delicious recipe:
- Yukon Gold - You could also use russet potatoes.
- Butter - We prefer butter for this, but if you want to keep it vegan, you can use olive oil instead.
- Seasonings - You’ll need salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, dry thyme, and smoked paprika.
- Grated parmesan cheese - You can get a block and grate it yourself or get prepackaged stuff.
- Water - You’ll need this for steaming the potatoes in the Instant Pot.
How to make Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
First, evenly slice the potatoes crosswise toward the bottom about 1 cm apart. Make sure to not cut all the way through the potato!
Next, mix the butter or oil, salt, and herbs in a small bowl. Once the mixture is ready, use a brush to douse the potato with herb mixture.
When the potatoes are ready, pour water into the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet on the bottom. Finally, place the potatoes on top of the tivet.
Close the lid, seal the vent, and then pressure cook for 12 minutes followed by a natural release of pressure.
Once done remove the potatoes and brush them with oil and herbs again.
Next place the potatoes into your Air Fryer’s basket and cook at 180 C or 356 F for another 10 minutes.
Once done, carefully remove the potatoes from the air fryer, place on a plate, and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and thyme.
If you want to skip the Instant Pot, you can. When you use the air fryer, cook it for 20 minutes at the same temperature for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
How to make Baked Hasselback Potatoes
If you prefer to bake the hasselback potatoes, follow these steps.
First, evenly slice the potatoes crosswise toward the bottom about 1 cm apart. Make sure to not cut all the way through the potato!
Next, mix the butter or oil, salt, and herbs in a small bowl. Once the mixture is ready, use a brush to douse the potato with herb mixture.
When the potatoes are ready, pour water into the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet on the bottom. Finally, place the potatoes on top of the trivet.
Close the lid, seal the vent, and then pressure cook for 12 minutes followed by a natural release of pressure.
Carefully remove the potatoes and brush them with oil and herbs again.
Next, place the potatoes in a preheated oven set to 400 F. Allow them to bake for 10 minutes before removing them and garnishing them with freshly grated parmesan cheese and thyme.
If you just want to bake the potatoes, you can easily. Just increase the baking time from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
Pro tips and tricks to make the best Hasselback Potatoes
When you make hasselback potatoes, you can follow these tips for the best results:
- Cut the potatoes as thin as possible because this will help them fan out in the oven.
- If you use larger potatoes, you may need to adjust your baking or air fryer time to make sure they cook all the way through.
- Don’t skip adding either butter or oil since these fats help the potatoes crisp when cooked.
- Thoroughly wash the potatoes but make sure you leave the skin intact.
What type of potatoes should be used to make a hasselback potatoes recipe?
One of the nice things about the hasselback method is it can actually work well for just about any potato. We use Yukon gold potatoes for the most part, but we have also had success with russet potatoes as well.
When you make this recipe though, you can use just about any potato including red potatoes and white potatoes. The key is to keep the peel on and slice them thin.
How to cut Hasselback Potatoes
First, start with a very sharp knife. When it comes to knives for this recipe, the sharper, the better.
Before making the first cut, wash the potato and place flat on a cutting board. Next, use your knife to cut horizontally across the potato.
As you cut, use care to not cut all the way through the skin on the bottom, but do try to get as close to the bottom skin as possible.
Once you make the first cut, continue making horizontal cuts down the length of the potato. For the best fanning out, make your cuts as close together as possible.
How do you fan out Hasselback potatoes?
You should never try to “force” hasselback potatoes to fan out. Believe it or not, it will happen naturally when you bake them. When you do make them, a couple of tips for getting them to fan nicely include:
- Soak them in a salt water bath before baking them.
- Cut the potatoes as close to the bottom skin as possible.
How long to bake Hasselback Potatoes
How long you bake Hasselback potatoes will vary some.
If you place them in the Instant Pot first to steam, they will only need about 10 minutes in the oven.
When you skip the Instant Pot, small to medium potatoes only need about 20 minutes.
For really large potatoes, you may need to increase the time they spend baking.
What is the secret to crispy Hasselback potatoes?
The key to crisping the potatoes is to spread butter or oil over the potatoes before baking or using the air fryer. The added fat helps to crisp the outside of the potatoes.
We find that using the Instant Pot to first steam the potatoes and then air frying them creates a moist potato on the inside with a crispy exterior.
What to serve with Hasselback potatoes?
Hasselback potatoes make great side dishes. They are a fancier take on baked potatoes, so you can serve them with just about any meal you would use baked potatoes with.
Some serving suggestions include:
- Load them with sour cream, cheese, green onions, and more butter.
- For extra veggies, they pair well with our Instant Pot Asparagus with Garlic Lemon Pepper
- To make it a more complete meal, you can pair potatoes with beans, like our Easy Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soak and Soaked Beans) or with a Lentil Salad.
Some more sides that you might like.
- Breakfast Potatoes
- Baked Potatoes
- Steamed Broccoli
- Patatas Bravas
- Roasted Potatoes
- Air fryer pickles
- Apple chips
Let us know what you think
If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
Hasselback Potatoes Recipe
Hasselback Potatoes Recipe
Hasselback potatoes dress up plain old baked potatoes and turn them into something truly special! These specially cut potatoes burst with buttery flavor in nearly every bite because the butter can seep into the cuts. This is a must make any time you want to really bring the wow factor your dinner table!
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes , 4 washed
- Butter or olive oil 4 tbsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Pepper 1 tsp
- Thyme springs 1 tbsp
- Smoked paprika1 tsp
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Thyme for garnish
- Water 1 cup
Instructions
How to make Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
First, evenly slice the potatoes crosswise toward the bottom about 1 cm apart. Make sure to not cut all the way through the potato!
Next, mix the butter or oil, salt, and herbs in a small bowl. Once the mixture is ready, use a brush to douse the potato with herb mixture.
When the potatoes are ready, pour water into the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet on the bottom. Finally, place the potatoes on top of the tivet.
Close the lid, seal the vent, and then pressure cook for 12 minutes followed by a natural release of pressure.
Once done remove the potatoes and brush them with oil and herbs again.
Next place the potatoes into your Air Fryer’s basket and cook at 180 C or 356 F for another 10 minutes.
Once done, carefully remove the potatoes from the air fryer, place on a plate, and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and thyme.
If you want to skip the Instant Pot, you can. When you use the air fryer, cook it for 20 minutes at the same temperature for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
How to make Baked Hasselback Potatoes
If you prefer to bake the hasselback potatoes, follow these steps.
First, evenly slice the potatoes crosswise toward the bottom about 1 cm apart. Make sure to not cut all the way through the potato!
Next, mix the butter or oil, salt, and herbs in a small bowl. Once the mixture is ready, use a brush to douse the potato with herb mixture.
When the potatoes are ready, pour water into the inner pot of your Instant Pot and then place a trivet on the bottom. Finally, place the potatoes on top of the trivet.
Close the lid, seal the vent, and then pressure cook for 12 minutes followed by a natural release of pressure.
Carefully remove the potatoes and brush them with oil and herbs again.
Next, place the potatoes in a preheated oven set to 400 F. Allow them to bake for 10 minutes before removing them and garnishing them with freshly grated parmesan cheese and thyme.
If you just want to bake the potatoes, you can easily. Just increase the baking time from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
Notes
Pro tips and tricks to make the best Hasselback Potatoes
When you make hasselback potatoes, you can follow these tips for the best results:
Cut the potatoes as thin as possible because this will help them fan out in the oven.
If you use larger potatoes, you may need to adjust your baking or air fryer time to make sure they cook all the way through.
Don’t skip adding either butter or oil since these fats help the potatoes crisp when cooked.
Thoroughly wash the potatoes but make sure you leave the skin intact.
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John Schroeder says
The easiest way to cut potatoes is to lay the raw potatoe between two chopsticks, pencils, or similar dowels using them so you don't cut thru the bottom. Goes so much faster.
Jordan says
Can I pre cut the potatoes and leave them in water and then add to instant pot next day
Suzanne says
@Jordan, you shouldn't leave potatoes in water. They will soak the water up & yoj won't be able to use them. I did this one year when I was making potato salad. It was horrible!