Easy Hasselback Potatoes with Thyme Butter

Easy hasselback potatoes, baked in the oven and finished with thyme butter. A delicious side dish that will work with any main course.

I am always looking at ways to change up mealtimes and these hasselback baked potatoes are a great alternative to a traditional baked potato.

The cuts into the potato not only crisp up beautifully, but they can also hold all manner of flavour.

These fanned out potatoes look impressive with their crunchy layers. Our crispy hasselback potatoes are really simple to cook and this is one of those recipes you will return to again and again.

Hasselback potatoes originated in a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, where they were created by one of their chefs. They really do look pretty on a plate and add a little more flair to any dinner dish.

What is a hasselback potato?

A hasselback potato has thin cuts running across the width and along the length of the potato (see images below). These cuts go deep into the potato, but not all the way through.

When baked in the oven these cuts open and the potato fans out. This makes them ideal for drizzling with flavoured oils and butters, herbs and spices.

How to make hasselback potatoes:

• Rinse the potatoes under cold water and dry with kitchen paper.
• Using a sharp knife slice ¾ way through the potatoes, taking care not to go all the way through.
• Try and keep the slices thin as this will allow more heat into the potato and it will fan out more in the oven.

• Place the potatoes in an oven proof dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over sunflower oil. Mix to combine.
• Pop the dish into the oven at 180CFan/200C for 20 minutes.

How to make Thyme Butter:

• To make the thyme butter, add thyme leaves to soft butter and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

• Stir the thyme leaves through the softened butter until well mixed through.

• Remove the potatoes from the oven and spread over the thyme butter and add some black pepper.
• Pop the potatoes back into the oven for a further 20-25 minutes.
• The potatoes will fan out and should be soft inside.
• Serve with the melted butter poured over the top.

Our crispy hasselback potatoes can also be added to a traybake with other vegetables. We like to pop some hasselback potatoes into our Sticky Sausage & Vegetable Traybake, making this dish an entire meal in one tray.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions:

• Potato, when selecting potatoes choose a variety of potato that is good for baking. We used baby new charlotte potatoes as they bake well and fan out in the oven.
• Butter with plenty seasoning is the perfect accompaniment to potatoes. However, you can substitute with some oil if you would prefer or even some flavoured oil, like a herb or chilli oil.
• Thyme is used to flavour the butter however you can substitute with other herbs, either fresh or dried. Italian dried herbs would work with the butter as would fresh tarragon, parsley.
• Garlic works really well with herbs in any flavoured butter, so feel free to add this into your butter mix.
• Spices can be added into any butter or oil that you are using to flavour the potatoes. Smoked paprika, ground cumin, Cajun or Taco spice blends would also work with oil or butter.

Useful hints and tips:

1. Use a pair of chopsticks and set them either side of the potato. This allows you to slice the potato without going right through. The knife will only go as far as the chopsticks, keeping the bottom of the potato together and forming the "hasselback".
2. Our crispy hasselback potatoes are best made fresh otherwise you lose the crunch from the potato skin. However, you could prepare the herb butter ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to spread over the potatoes.
3. Allergy advice replace the butter with a suitable dairy-free alternative if serving these potatoes to anyone with a dairy allergy or anyone following a vegan diet. You could also use a herb oil.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try some of our other simple potato dishes:

• Easy Dauphinoise Potatoes
• Easy Fondant Potatoes
• Potato Pave
• Best Crispy Roast Potatoes
• Garlic & Thyme Roast Potatoes
• Potato & Cheese Croquettes
• Easy Boulangere Potatoes
• Fried Potatoes with Garlic & Thyme

If you are looking to change things up a bit, have a look at our 12 Best Potato Side Dishes post. It's full of useful hints and tips, along with all our favourite potato sides.