Monday, June 28, 2010

Crunchy Garlicky Hasselback Potatoes

It was The Hubs birthday on Friday and not only did I create a monumental cake to celebrate, I also made him a special birthday dinner of his choosing.  He asked for steak, and possibly chips.  So, I bought two gorgeous T-bones from the Butchers Block in Dundrum and Lulu helped me to select the vegetables to go with them - asparagus and tenderstem broccoli.

Now for the spuds.  I wanted to do something a little bit fancier than chips and one of the photos on Donal Skehan's blog had caught my eye - it was an image of a beautifully frazzled potato which looked like a hedgehog.  Further investigation revealed that the recipe was for Hasselback Potatoes and I remembered having these readymade from M&S before - and not liking them at all.  The reason - they used sunflower oil which left a strange aftertaste and I wasn't impressed.

This time, things were different... because I was making them!  Donal just uses butter in his recipe but to be honest I'd use garlic anywhere near potatoes because they're a match made in heaven.  Even the reheated leftovers tasted amazing the next day.  So, how do you make these beauties?  It's so easy - easier than you would think (as proven to my parents by using a metal tablespoon and breadknife yesterday!)

Crunchy Garlicky Hasselback Potatoes

350g Baby Potatoes
40g Butter
1 clove Garlic, crushed
Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 200c/Gas Mark 6.

Using a wooden spoon (or the plastic equivalent), place a potato into the spoon & using a very sharp knife, make cuts about 3mm apart.  Using the spoon means that you won't cut through the potato as the well will stop the knife in its tracks...


Place the potatoes in an ovenproof dish and set to one side.

 

Melt the butter and add the clove of crushed garlic - pour the garlic butter over the potatoes, season with the salt and pepper and roast for about 40 minutes, basting every so often. 



They will be beautifully tender in the middle and the top will separate into little fans when cooked.
  

When they're ready, there will be a heavenly aroma of garlic in your kitchen - season with some crunchy sea salt and serve immediately.
  

If by some miracle you have leftovers, they reheat perfectly in the oven! 


2 comments:

  1. Oh my God these look amazingly tasty, lucky Hubs!

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  2. They sound delish! love your blog sweetie!

    Ellie

    ReplyDelete