Did you know that if you fancy slice potatoes and roast them with butter and oil they’re called Hasselback Potatoes?
Holy heck. How did I not know this was a life option?
Did you know you could pulverize all this stuff with a machine and turn it into pesto?
Did you know that if you drink three Irish Coffees with dinner you’ll feel like a maniac?
Did you know that if it’s freezing cold and you’re riding your bike by the beach you can totally just stop at the mall and buy a jacket… and a scarf… and a cute new pair of underwear… and a few new tops?
True… all of these things.
This is a super classy way to enjoy potatoes. It’s so easy too!
Slice into potatoes and shove fresh garlic in em.
Cover them in butter, oil and salt.
After an hour of roasting and basting, the potatoes are tender and buttery with a crisp, crunchy skin.
So delicious!!
I would like to suggest enjoying one yourself and forcing your boyfriend to eat one as well. Doesn’t matter if he’s hungry or not. Garlic breath needs to be shared.
I’m obsessed with green things right now.
Spinach and lemon and roasted cashew nuts make up this pesto. It’s fresh and bright and… I’ve run out of food words… just enjoy this.
Lunch. Dinner. Healthy and delushious.
Hasselback Potatoes with Spinach Cashew Pesto
inspired by The Purple Foodie
For the Potatoes:
4 russet potatoes
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Thinly slice garlic cloves. Set aside.
Rinse and scrub potatoes well. We’re keeping the skin on so it’s gotta be clean.
Slice a thin layer off of the bottom of the potatoes. This will give them a solid base to rest on to get sliced. Slice into the potatoes but not completely through them. Slice potatoes, creating very thin rounds connected at a base. Slide garlic slices in between potato slices. You might actually need to shove them in… the potato might be pretty tight. Just be careful not to tear the bottom.
Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle potatoes with salt. Top each potato with one tablespoon of butter. Drizzle with oil. Bake for 1 hour or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Remove the pan about every 15 minutes to baste potatoes in the oil and butter on the pan. This will make the skin crispy and delicious and the potato extra buttery.
When cooked through and crispy, remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes. Top with spinach pesto and serve.
For the Pesto:
2 loosely packed cups of spinach
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cups roasted cashews
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
Place garlic cloves, spinach, nuts, lemon juice, zest and Parmesan cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until spinach is broken down and, whiles still blending, slowly pour in the olive oil. Turn off food processor, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over potatoes… or pasta!
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Really tasty!
I tried the Pesto on Saturday night, with pasto and it was incredible! Who would’ve thunk it! I blanched the spinach for a couple of minutes though and added a little bit of Italian Basil. Thanks Joy :)
These potatoes were a huge dissappointment. Not really good at all.
i’m not quite sure how to make potatoes any better…garlic, butter, olive oil, sea salt…roasted to perfection?
The potatoes were good…I probably should have cooked them longer but I started dinner too late…but the pesto was seriously lick the bowl, spoon, plate, I can’t believe there isn’t any left deliciousness!!!!
I will be making more of that soon, maybe tomorrow! Would be great on chicken and pasta too.
I have both kale and chard in the fridge that need to be used pronto, so I think that this pesto (with obvious ingredient swaps) is definitely in my future! Yum!
shut. the. f****. up. seriously. I tweaked the pesto a tad (1 extra clove of garlic & no Parmesan) for my vegan tendencies and just about died in potato heaven. I’m vegan but your blog is my cook book. Not all those vegan blogs. They suck. You rock. My 16 month old, husband and I thank you for feeding us! :)
I agree! I love Joy!
Wowee-wee-wee! I made this tonight for my parents and I with a beautiful piece of eye fillet steak and a light salad. Stunning! I’m so impressed by you Joy, seriously awesome stuff.
Look forward to the next installments….but those dark chocolate and orange scones sound pretty freakin’ delectable!
I tried these potatoes for dinner the other night and they were completely delicious. You totally get the flavor of the potato that you lose most of the time in mashed potatoes or even baked potatoes. I also made some sweet potatoes with apples instead of garlic, and broiled some brown sugar and butter on at the very end. They took a little bit longer to bake, and they weren’t quite as healthy (whoops!), but they’re totally worth it :]
I must admit I had a bit of trouble with these…. My garlic kept popping out of my potatoes and then it was burning and starting the smoke alarm. It was actually pretty amusing. I am not sure how to keep the garlic in. So if you have any tips I would sure appreciate them. Even though I tried to burn down our house these turned out amazing. The potatoes were rich and buttery just like you said. I made a few adjustments to the pesto since I didn’t have all the items needed but it turned out great as well. Thanks for the delicious recipe!!
Try slicing the garlic thinner, and cutting deeper into the potatoes (but not all the way through)
THANK YOU for liberating me from the shackles of thinking that “pesto” meant “fresh basil and pine nuts” ! You’ve opened up a whole new world to me
the basil at my grocery store sucks right now, so swapping in spinach is the best idea! i tossed my pesto with bowtie pasta, used it instead of tomato sauce on pizza, and even made these potatoes. brilliant!
I can’t wait to try it! As I looooove potatoes and pestos (or is it pestoes?)
congrats on your blog… is a treat for me!
Oh my I made these this past weekend and they were so good easy to portion out as well of course I took the lazy route and covered them in a chimichurri spread/sauce I had in the fridge and it was yummalicious thanks for the recipe again.
At first I thought ….not sure if I am loving that bright green hue, but then I looked at the ingredients and thought mmm…I am going to give this a whirl. Oh my! The husband and I both had seconds for dinner. Yum. Yum.
Made these potatoes a few nights ago paired with a rotisserie chicken and they were simply amazing! I had a thought… these would be great little appetizers once sliced, like little potato bites, I think they’d be a huge hit at any party. Thank for the recipe Joy!
Actually Hasselback Potatoes (or Hasselbackpotatis in swedish) is a common way to cook potatoes here in Sweden – and soooo delicious too ;) It’s named after the restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm were they were made for the very first time.
Thanks for a great blog!
These look incredible. I’m not a fan of boring old baked ones, but I really want ones of these – yum!
These potatoes were delicious! And the easiest things to make. I think they could’ve used a little longer in the oven, but I didn’t baste at all so maybe that was the reason. Anyway, my husband may or may not have eaten 2 of these with his dinner, but I can’t say for sure. Thanks, Joy!
I’m a little late in the commenting game, but I just wanted to tell you that this pesto recipe has quickly become a go-to for me. Tonight during pesto-making, I found myself without any cashews but with a ton of pistachios… definitely a worthwhile variation. :)
Loved everything about this recipe (and so did my guests). Yum!
Just made these to go with hot & spicy chicken breasts…they were delicious.
This looks so pretty! And yummy! I love green things too.
I just made these and they were amazing! I’ve actually made the pesto a few times and love it, but had to wait until I found some decent kind of baking potatoes to make this happen. Silly Australia has yet to discover the joys of the Russet or jacket potato! Can you believe it? All our potatoes have thin skins. :-(
what a coincidence, just picked up some potatoes and spinach at the farmers market today. SO making this : )
that potato is screaming “Add Basa Fillet”. I’ve gotta try this.
Love the pesto – especially the spinach to make it that beautiful GREEN!!! And, I might add, more nutritious. I like my basil pesto like the next gal but this is a great “other pesto” option. Love the looks of the potato too but I had to stop & think, what does Elizabeth Hassebeck have to do with these spuds. (note: I switch people’s names for things all the time) Cheerio!
These were INCREDIBLE!! I had to omit the cashews (allergy) but otherwise did everything exactly the same, and we were in an amazing garlicy pesto, roasted spud heaven…Although I’m pretty sure the people beside me in my yoga class that night were not as impressed with my garlicy-ness :)
It’s super hot today, so going to try out the whole wheat flat bread + dip + smoked salmon (+ pinot) for an easy light dinner.
Thank you for all you do!!
perfect!
Thank you, it will be repeated, no doubt :)
I made these last week and I’ve already made them twice since! I had to swap fresh spinach for frozen the first time and I only had almonds, no cashews, but it was still amazing. Baked potatoes are so boring…thanks for an easy, exciting alternative. AND somehow, buried in my own baking addiction, I have been slacking on non-dessert foods and had totally forgotten about the easy, fresh, garlickey wonder of pesto. Now I remember! Thanks.
love love loving this idea! how have i never seen potatoes done this way?
i bookmarked and even mentioned it in my latest link love to remind myself! thank you!
http://mylittleartichoke.blogspot.com/2011/09/link-love-v14.html
This is something I will have to try out.
Carbs, butter, garlic and salt?
What’s not to like?
I can’t wait to try this tonight! I’ve been seeing these hassleback style potatoes around a lot recently, but none as yummy as this. I included it (and you) in my weekly menu: http://www.ourlifestyled.com/2011/09/menu-monday-on-world-wide-web.html
Thanks for the yumminess!
Oooh, you’ve just reminded me of a recipe my mom used to make – it’s a variation on hasselback potatoes, but she puts soup mix in the crevices along with the garlic and butter. Sooo good – crusty and salty and buttery. Gotta make that this weekend, especially with your pesto.
Joy
You would be so proud of us, we’ve added our own twist with crispy parmesan Hasselbacks
http://ahintofgarlic.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/hasselback-potatoes/
these look simple and delicious! and the PESTO! what a great idea for topping buttery, roasted potatoes with..MUST TRY!
Wowza! This was awesome and my new favorite way to eat/make baked potatoes!
Thanks Joy!! You rock-n-roll!!
I’m pretty sure I’ve commented to this recipe before, but I just made them yet again for a small dinner party last night, and as always, they were a gigantic hit. I’ve subbed in sunflower seeds for the cashews, and it was delicious (and less expensive), but I’ve also used cashews, almonds, and pine nuts. All were fabulous! I love the way that using spinach pushes the lemon and garlic into the forefront of the flavor profile. Also, I was wondering: is it necessary to stuff garlic between the slices? It makes for SUCH a long prep time — do you think the potatoes would crisp up properly if I did that?
wow! this looks awesome! never would have thought of cashews. these look wonderful!
If you’re allergic to cashews, what do you think would taste good as a substitute?
walnuts!
Thanks for adding the pesto to this recipe, I often make the accordian style potatoes for company or taking to special dinners like Thanksgiving or Easter. But adding the fresh green on top would be an easy last minute addition to give the spuds extra zing! February is Potato Lovers Month, so perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner when combined with a big juicy steak or sauteed prawns.
MMMM, makes water running in my mouth. It’s so lively described, that one can just smell the potatos beeing baked in the oven. And with the pesto, MMMMMM :>
I mean, i’m not a potato lover, but with your description, one BECOMES a potato fan ;)
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