Sunday Savory: Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Butter

Guest post by Shelby Smith

Want a buttery side dish that’s both crispy and not the same-old baked potato? Hasselback potatoes are an interesting spin on both. This dish is the best parts of both and is smothered in flavor. Any kinds of potatoes, dug fresh from the garden or store bought, can be used to make this recipe.

Ingredients

• Russet potatoes. One per person depending on the size.
• 4 tbsp. of butter or margarine.
• 3 gloves of garlic.
• Salt and pepper.
• ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash all the potatoes and dry with a paper towel.
3. On medium heat melt the butter and crushed garlic in a small pot to make your own garlic butter. Don’t let the garlic brown.
4. With a sharp knife cut ¼ inch slices side-by-side, but only cut ¾ the way through the potato. Don’t cut all the way through. (Cut the slices thinner for crispy chips).
5. In a 2 inch deep baking pan line all the potatoes side-by-side and season the inside and outside with salt and pepper.
6. Drizzle the garlic butter on the inside and outside of the potato generously.
7. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes, until the slices are crispy and top and the potato is cooked through.
8. In the last 5 minutes of cooking you can sprinkle the cheese on the top and melt it.
9. Keep warm until ready to serve.

This side dish can be served with anything and you can season it any way you like. You can sprinkle the top with any type of cheese as well as bacon to add a little bit more flavor. You can even try this recipe with sweet potatoes and top with marshmallows.

"Savory Sunday" is a new weekly blog series with seasonal recipes from the garden.

About the Author:

Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was a sports copy-editor for a campus publication called Unwind Magazine and a writer at The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College.