This recipe I have presented on this page is probably one of my top-3 ways of preparing potatoes. The recipe is an old and very traditional Swedish way of cooking potatoes. The name for this great side dish is in Swedish called Hasselbackspotatis. The literal translation is Hazelslope Potatoes. In Danish they are called Hasselback Kartofler or sometimes just Hasselbagte Kartofler.
I have been told that these potatoes originates back to a restaurant in Stockholm called Hasselbacken which opened back in 1853. Hasselbacken was a well known and upscale restaurant in Djurgården area. The actual date when the potatoes were served the first time is a bit unknown to me. I have not been able to confirm this story.
These potatoes are super simple to make. In general is all about making many deep cuts into some medium to large potatoes, brushing them with an herb and butter mixture and then baking them for some time. The cooking time is of course depended on the size of the potatoes.
The delicious thing about these Hasselback Potatoes is that all the deep cuts in the potatoes creates a nice and crisp crust on the outside and at the same time keeps the potatoes nice and soft on the inside. The butter and herb mixture gives the potatoes a fresh and special taste. I simply love these potatoes. I normally serve these potatoes together with some meat and a nice salad. They go especially great together with this a pork tenderloin or a Danish Roasted Pork.
I can easily remember having had these potatoes since I was a little kid and I remember that I loved them. I especially remember that I loved to help making these potatoes. It is somehow fun to make all the deep cuts in the potatoes. This is a simple and traditional Swedish recipe and I will absolutely recommend you to try them.
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes (2 lb)
- 50 g butter (2 oz )
- 2 tbsp rosemary , fresh or dried
- 2 tbsp thyme , fresh or dried
- 2 clove garlic , finely chopped
- salt
Instructions
- In a sauce pan; melt the butter at low heat.
- When the butter is melted; chop the herbs and garlic and add it to the butter. Let it cook/sit for about 5-10 minutes on very little heat.
- Clean and peel the potatoes.
- At the bottom side of the potatoes make a small horizontal cut. This will make sure the potatoes sits stable on the oven plate.
- On the opposite side; make deep cuts side-by-side into the potatoes. The cuts should be about 2/3 into the potatoes and about 2 mm apart.
- On a parchment paper covered oven plate; place the potatoes side-by-side with the grooves upwards.
- Brush the potatoes with the butter and herb mixture.
- Bake the potatoes for about 60 minutes at 200 C (400 F). The cooking time is depended on the size of the potatoes. The potatoes are done when you can easily stick a fork into them. During the cooking brush the potatoes 2-3 times extra with the herb mixture.
Brenda H Nelson
My Norwegoan Grandmother did this wonderful recipe but to any remaining herbed butter she would add crushed crackers ( I use Ritz) and toss well. Then in the last 15 min. or so of baking she would sprinkle a very little bit on top of each to add a golden brown sparkle to the top.
Also , I use Yukon Gold potatoes for color. And if I'm serving them on a Smorgabord of many foods, I cut the larger potatoes in half before preparing as above.
Kim Van Patten
This recipe sounds wonderful. We have this for Swedish Christmas eve. I am trying to help my mom with cooking as much in advance as possible. Do you think I could make this the morning of Christmas eve, put in a crock pot to keep warm for later in the day?
Kim Nielsen
That sounds great. I actually think you can do that - I can't see the problem in that.
Colin
Hi it’s Colin I make your Ryebread fantastic I’m glad we Got over the hic up with the video and the written recipe but now I wanna try your liver pasta can you freeze it down
Kim Nielsen
Hi Colin. I happy that you like the rye bread, it is really good. Yes you can freeze the liver paste - just do it before you bake it. Then you only need to bake it comes out of the freezer.
Donna Montagna
I loved this recipe! I made it with a thick stalk of fresh rosemary from my garden that I fried in butter with garlic. I removed the rosemary stalk before brushing on the butter. I ate them with some home made lentil burgers and portabello sauce. AMAZING!!!
My mom makes hasselback potatoes with bread crumbs on top. They're very tasty too.
Thanks for sharing!
Kim Nielsen
I'm happy to hear that you like the recipe. Ohh, and fresh rosemary from the garden - that is just there best! Regards Kim (nordicfoodliving.com)
Max Bauer
The original Swedish recipe is quite simple, as original recipes sometimes are, but of course it evolved to incredible culinary creations via toppings. If you want a potato change of pace, try them.
Kim Nielsen
Thanks for the tip about the original Swedish recipe. I differently look into it.
Siobhean
My mother was an au pair outside of Stockholm in the late 1950s and returned to the UK with this recipe so they appear to have been around for longer than you thought! We do it putting chopsticks on either side of the potatoes to cut. This way you can do firm even cuts without worrying about cutting through to the bottom
Kim Nielsen
That is actually a great tip using chopsticks as a base for the hasselback potatoes. That makes it very easy to cut them without cutting through the potatoes. Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)