Hasselback potatoes are easy to make, but extra-special. The layers get lovely and crispy, while the base has that beautifully soft baked potato texture. You can dress them in many different ways, with herbs, garlic and even flavoured salt, but I really love them with a little kick from this zingy chilli, coriander (cilantro) and lime butter.
Hasselback Potatoes
Potatoes were definitely a staple in my house when I was growing up.
We often had champ (mashed potatoes with spring onions), colcannon, potato farls…
Now, I often slice them up into these Hasselback potatoes. The layers get lovely and crispy, while the base has that beautifully soft baked potato texture.
You can dress them in many different ways, with herbs, garlic and even flavoured salt, but I really love them with a little kick from this zingy chilli, coriander and lime butter.
Slice the potatoes thinly and as they cook they’ll open up in a pretty accordion shape. They’re a great alternative to roasties, and a lovely side dish.
This dish is a wonderful side dish, particularly for my 15 minute delicious vegan Mushroom Steaks.
Choose Organic
If you use organic potatoes, then there is even more reason not to waste those nutritious skins. If your recipe calls for peeled potatoes, save the skins, drizzle them in a little oil, sprinkle them with sea salt and rosemary and roast them in a hot oven until crispy. Voila: ‘free’ crisps/chips! See how to make them here: roasted potato peelings.
Potatoes and Food Waste
One potato, two potato. A potato is a potato, right? Well, apparently we like them – a lot. Not only do we buy them in droves, but we’re also quick to bin them.
Potatoes have the dubious honour of being one of the UK’s most-wasted foods at home.
That’s not a very nice title for the humble tuber to hold, and I’m sure most of us are guilty for forgetting a few spuds at the back of the cupboard.
It’s rather horrible to find lost potatoes, their eyes turning to spindly roots, ready to walk out on their own and escape to freedom.
How to Store Potatoes
Although potatoes can last for quite a while, it’s important to store them properly.
Take them out of their plastic bag and put them into a cloth bag or basket so air can circulate, and store them in a cool, dark place so they don’t turn green, rot or sprout.
Unfortunately that can often mean ‘out of sight, out of mind’, for me anyway.
One of the most important ways to reduce food waste is to only buy what you need, and use what you buy.
Ways to avoid wasting potatoes
- Use a potato peeler instead of a knife when peeling so only a thin strip of skin is removed.
- Don’t store onions with potatoes or a chemical reaction will cause them both to spoil faster.
- Raw potatoes don’t freeze well, so blanching them for a few minutes, before draining and packing them into freezer bags to freeze once cooled.
- Scrub potatoes before peeling and roast the skins with oil and salt to make crisps.
- Leftover mashed potato can be pan fried in cakes for breakfast.
How to cut hasselback potatoes
It’s easy to make all the little cuts in the potatoes, but they’re best if none of the cuts go all the way through.
To make it easy, just place the potato onto a wooden spoon. Then the knife won’t go all the way through!
Even if the knife does go all the way through, just carry on cutting the rest of the slices. It will still be delicious!
Watch your fingers and be careful 🙂
More Potato Recipes
Are you looking for other ways to use up potatoes? Try my decadent Chocolate Mashed Potato Cake with Tahini Drizzle! It’s a fun way to use up leftovers and make an interesting cake. Mashed potatoes were used during wartime to bulk out cake.
Other options are:
Broccoli Salad with Potatoes and Herbs
Brazilian Potato Salad
How to make Hasselback Potatoes
If you make this easy hasselback potato recipe, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Also, pop down to the comment and let me know how you got on with the recipe. It’s always great to hear from my readers. Your support allows me write this UK food blog and bring you vegetable cake recipes as well as vegan desserts, plus savoury vegetarian and vegan recipes and breakfasts and drinks.
Hasselback Potatoes with Chilli and Lime Butter
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter (or dairy free vegan spread)
- 2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- Zest and juice of ½ a lime
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
- Wash and dry the potatoes and make thin slits in them, approx ¾ of the way down, leaving the bottom intact. Place the potatoes into a large ovenproof dish.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the coriander, chilli, lime zest and juice.
- Brush half of the flavoured butter over the potatoes, then place them in the oven and roast for 1 hour.
- Halfway through the cooking time, brush with the remaining butter, ensuring it gets into the layers, and season with salt and pepper.
- Check the potatoes: they’re finished when the layers have come apart, turned golden and the potatoes are cooked through.
Elizabeth
I absolutely love hasselback potatoes and you’ve just reminded me that it’s been AGES since I’ve last made them. Such a gorgeous recipe and loads of waste prevention facts and tips too – thanks for linking up with the No Waste Food Challenge! 🙂
Keep Calm and Fanny On
Wow! I love Hasselback potatoes, but would never have thought about Chilli and especially lime… Yum! Thanks…
Claire @foodiequine
These sound delicious – hassleback is up there in my top 3 favourite ways to serve potatoes. A tip if you don’t already do it is to place the potato on a wooden spoon and cut the slits, the spoon stops you from accidentally cutting all the way through.
Camilla
We love coriander and chilli hear so I know my family would love these potatoes, in fact me son has often asked me to make hassleback potatoes after he tried them at a friend’s house i- must put this right!
Tina Dawson | Love is in my tummy
Hassleback potatoes remind me of fat, little worms for some reason, but that thought somehow never diminishes it’s deliciousness value! Great job on the slicing, I can never seem to get such consistently even slices!
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
Thank you for the lovely recipe Kate. I love how you use hassleback potatoes with chili and lime butter. xD
Dannii
I love hassleback potatoes. The skin gets all crispy and they are the perfect comfort food!
Willow | Will Cook For Friends
Oooh, these potatoes are making my mouth water! Although simple, potatoes are one of my favorite foods. I love them crispy and fried, or soft and baked, and these are the perfect combination of both.
I am definitely guilty of wasting a few potatoes. I’ve tried all the tricks I know of — storing them away from the onions, storing them with an apple, storing them in a cool dark place — maybe it’s just something about my house, but they always sprout faster than I think is possible, sometimes within a week of buying them. The suggestion to buy what you need and cook what you buy really is the best solution I’ve found. Thanks for the tips, and the inspiration for these lovely hasslebacks!
Mary
Hassleback potatoes were a staple when I was growing up. I love the addition of chili lime butter and coriander–such bright flavors!
Amanda
This sounds delicious. I like the use of lime instead of lemon. Cilantro really sets this apart..