Spicy Hasselback Potatoes

Kookaburra's Note:

These are a lot more interesting than plain roasted or jacket potatoes. They're perfect to serve with a roast and easy to do. As the potatoes cook the slices fan out so, as well as tasting great, they look pretty too!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 -6 medium potatoes
• 4 -6 teaspoons butter or 4 -6 teaspoons margarine, melted

Spice Topping

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. The oven temperature will depend on what else you are cooking at the time (e. g. a roast).
2. Anything between a moderate and high heat will be fine for these potatoes.
3. Grease a baking tin or tray.
4. Wash potatoes well but do not peel.
5. Cut a thin slice from the base of each potato so that they will sit flat on a cutting board.
6. Place a potato on the cutting board and lay a wooden spoon alongside the length of it.
7. This stops you from cutting right through to the bottom of the potato.
8. Now, using a sharp knife, held at right angles to the wooden spoon, thinly slice the potato but DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM.
9. (Think of the way garlic bread is sliced- that's the effect you're looking for.) Repeat until all potatoes are sliced in this way.
10. Place potatoes into the baking tin.
11. Now, using a pastry brush, brush butter or margarine over the top of each potato and use the brush (and your fingers) to carefully push some of the butter down between the slices.
12. Reserve some butter or margarine to baste during cooking.
13. Bake for around 45 minutes at 180°-220°C (350°- 425°F) before adding spice mixture.
14. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the ingredients for the spice topping in a small bowl and mix well.
15. After 45 minutes, brush the reserved melted butter or margarine over the potatoes then sprinkle the potatoes with the spice mixture.
16. Return potatoes to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes or until brown and crispy.
17. (If the potatoes are not browning nicely after the first 45 minutes, simply increase the heat for the last 15- 20 minutes of cooking. If you are cooking a roast, you can time it so that you remove the meat to rest for 15-20 minutes before the potatoes are done).

Reviews

[Marsha Mazz]

Very very good. Thanks for the suggestion about using a wooden spoon to avoid cutting all the way through the potatoes - worked like a charm. Next time, I'll try to cut these even a little thinner so that they crisp a bit more.

[Bonnie G #2]

Oh Kookaburra, DH and I loved this, it was perfect with our dinner and so special. We like spicy so the spices where right on and I didn't change a thing - except only used one potatoe that was large as it's only the two of us, then cut it in half for each plate. The slices made it easy and fun. The directions are clear and easy to follow and the taste is just what we were wanting, something differant from plan baked potatoes. Mine didn't completly finish in the oven and dinner was ready - so I popped it in the microwave for 5 minutes and it came out perfect. Thanks for sharing.

[Chicagopm]

This was a good recipe. I followed the instructions but mine did not get crispy except for the bottom of the potatoes (where a slice had been cut off). I was really looking forward to something more crispy though. I only made 3 potatoes but used about half of the spice mixture. I had the oven at 450 degrees at the end. Next time I might try using 425-450 to start. Thank you for posting this recipe.