Every once in a while, you just want to get super fancy and do something over the top creative when making a meal for someone. It could be in the plating presentation, or maybe using some exotic ingredients, or it could be as simple as a potato. Yes, that's right! While potatoes can be baked, fried, mashed, or cooked about every way possible, one lesser-known method that looks amazing and combines a soft, baked center with a crispy outer layer comes all the way from a 1953 Swedish restaurant called Hasselbacken. Hasselback Potatoes are a variety of oven-fried baked potatoes that are thinly sliced about 3/4 of the way through combining the best of both the baked and fried worlds. Fast forward almost 70 years to now with our new kitchen equipment, such as an Air Fryer, and it only makes sense to recreate this classic side dish with a modern twist! Today's recipe, Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes, will not only wow your crowd but make your tastebuds dance with delight amongst the contrasting textures resulting from this cooking method. It isn't quite rocket science, but does require specific prep work, so sit back and relax as I reveal the secrets to the perfect Air Fryer Hasselback Potato...Let's Get Cooking!
Almost any variety of potato can be used for this recipe, but Russet Potatoes are typically the potato of choice. The first step I'm going to discuss is not necessary, I repeat NOT necessary, but for anyone with lesser knife skills or trying to make life a bit easier, it is very helpful. Begin by taking the smallest of slices off one side of your potatoes so they lay flat on your cutting board. This will keep them in place from rolling all over during the next step and help make your cuts more even and precise. It is entirely up to you whether or not to do this step, but I found it quite helpful myself, even with my decent knife skills.
Next, place your potatoes flat side down and lay either a couple of wooden chopsticks or utensils on either side. This will serve as our depth cutting guide/stop point so we don't accidentally slice completely through the potatoes. If you skip my first step, try to find the most flat and even side of the potato to lay down on your cutting board. Any major variations could result in you cutting through the potato and breaking it apart, which we are trying to avoid for our finished presentation.
Once your chopsticks or wooden spoons, etc are in place, cut through the potato all the way down till your knife contacts your cutting guide helper tool. Start on one side and work your way across, making cuts about every 1/8th-inch or so. The tighter your cuts the more fanning and eventual presentation factor you will get. It is slightly hard to see from my image below, but if you look closely you can see about 30 slices cut across the potato. Repeat the process for each potato you plan on making before moving on to the next step.
Once all your potatoes are prepped, melt some butter in a small bowl. Add some fresh rosemary and garlic to create a wonderful garlic herb butter basting sauce we will use both before, during, and after cooking. You can certainly swap out or add any other herbs you like as well at this point to make your basting sauce unique and preferential.
At this point, turn on your Air Fryer and preheat it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While it is warming up, generously baste your potatoes with the garlic herb butter sauce. Carefully spread your slices apart at the top and try to get the sauce down in between each slice if possible. Not only will this improve the finished flavor, but it will also actually help "fry" the interior of the potato so you end up with additional crispy layers around each individual slice. Once your Air Fryer is up to temperature, place your potatoes in and cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, open up your Air Fryer and give your potatoes another quick basting with the garlic herb butter sauce. It should be a bit easier to get between the slices at this point since they have somewhat cooked and opened up on their own. If not, just carefully fan them out like before and butter things up! Close your Air Fryer and give the potatoes 10 final additional minutes to finish cooking.
After 40 total minutes, your Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes should be cooked and ready to enjoy! They are perfect match of a crispy French-fried potato with a soft, pillowy baked potato. You can use up any remaining garlic herb butter to finish them off and plate them up.
What do you think? Will you be trying these Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes the next time you cook a fancy dinner date night meal? Of course, you can make them any day of the week as your kids and friends are sure to love the multiple textures and fancy ass appearance compared to regular baked potatoes or fries, eh? These potatoes are a bit of work with all the extra slicing and whatnot, but every once in a while, you have to go above and beyond and really throw down in the kitchen to keep impressing everyone around you! This is a fairly simple recipe and technique anyone can do, and with practice, really hit it out of the ballpark. Hell, go crazy and add parmesan cheese or other tasty additions to take your potatoes to the next level! So even if this or other recipes look too difficult for the average home chef, get in the kitchen and try anyway....Just Keep Cooking!
AIR FRYER HASSELBACK POTATOES
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