Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

These hasselback sweet potatoes exude elegance and precision, perfect for pleasing palates on any occasion. Slightly crisped exteriors of fan-like slices give way to savory, buttery interiors with a fragrant, herbal note. Hasselback sweet potatoes are an affordable dinner party recipe for birthdays, holidays, graduations and wine-and-dine parties. It’s also a sweet potato recipe for a weeknight dinner with the family. And when it comes to fancy appetizers without the fuss, these are surprisingly simple to prep.

What are hasselback potatoes?

This hasselback sweet potato recipe is a riff on classic hasselback potatoes, which are whole white potatoes (often Idaho or russet) that are thinly sliced but kept intact at the bottom. There are a few versions of the origin story. One is that the chef of the famed Swedish restaurant Hasselbacken came up with the idea to lessen the cooking time for baked potatoes by partially slicing them. Others suggest that a recipe for hasselback potatoes first appeared in a cookbook from the 1920s. Hasselback sweet potatoes will have a sweeter, earthier flavor than white potatoes, and will boost your fiber (6 grams per serving).

What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?

They’re often incorrectly labeled at supermarkets, but don’t be fooled: Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. They grow in different parts of the world and have differences in texture, color and sweetness. Sweet potatoes have pink or reddish skin and (most often) orange flesh that’s sweet, soft and creamy, while yams have brown skin and white flesh that is starchy and more neutral in flavor.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes: For this recipe, use smaller sweet potatoes that are around 7 ounces each. Aim for sweet potatoes that are relatively uniform in size and shape so that they cook evenly. And be sure to leave the skins on: They’ll keep the sliced sweet potato intact.
• Butter: Butter is one of the two must-have ingredients for making a delicious potato or sweet potato (the other is salt). You can use unsalted butter in this recipe since you add a generous amount of salt to the butter mixture.
• Shallot: A shallot differs from a traditional onion because it’s smaller, sweeter and less intense. Substitute onion if needed, but you’ll notice a more oniony kick.
• Garlic cloves: If you or your guests are averse to pieces of garlic in their food, you can simply add three crushed garlic cloves to the butter before you melt it, let it steep in the melted butter for a few minutes, then remove and discard the crushed cloves. You’ll get the garlic butter flavor without the pieces.
• Salt: A generous amount of salt brings out all the buttery-garlicky richness in these sweet potatoes. If you’re starting with salted butter, you can reduce the amount you add here.
• Freshly ground pepper: Freshly ground pepper has more flavor and aroma than pre-ground pepper. If you’d rather have more heat than peppery spice, try a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes instead. Or simply skip the pepper for no spice.
• Fresh herbs: A mixture of finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme and sage) goes into the buttery bread crumb topping for a lovely burst of bright color and flavor.
• Bread crumbs: You’ll use soft whole wheat bread crumbs, so start with fresh or slightly stale whole wheat bread or buns. Toss them in the blender until they become small crumbs, and you’ll be all set.
• Parmesan cheese: Always grate your own cheese for the best flavor and texture in your foods. If that’s not an option, go for the  grated real Parmesan cheese in your grocer’s cooler. Save the shelf-stable stuff for when you’re in a pinch. It doesn’t offer the same sweet, nutty flavor as the real deal.
• Chopped toasted nuts (optional): The nuts are an optional topping for your finished hasselback sweet potatoes. Pecans or walnuts would be great choices here, as their sweet, earthy flavors nicely complement those of sweet potatoes.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the sweet potatoes

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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut thin slices lengthwise from the bottoms of the sweet potatoes to allow them to lie flat. Discard removed slices. Place the sweet potatoes, flat side down, on your cutting board.

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Cut down into each sweet potato to make crosswise 1/8-inch slices, leaving each sweet potato intact at the bottom.

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Arrange the prepared sweet potatoes in a 12-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet.

Step 2: Make the butter mixture

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In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper until combined.

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Spoon half of the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes and reserve the remaining butter mixture.

Step 3: Bake the sweet potatoes

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Bake the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the parsley, thyme and sage into the reserved butter mixture.

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In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and Parmesan.

Step 4: Finish the hasselback sweet potatoes

Remove the skillet from the oven. Spoon the remaining butter mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Return the skillet to the oven, and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the topping is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. If desired, top with toasted nuts.

Editor’s Tip: Let your sweet potatoes cool for 5 to 10 minutes before digging in. Sweet potatoes can trap some serious steam inside them.

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Recipe Variations

• Use potatoes or yams: Go ultra-classic with potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, or try yams for a fun variation on the sweet potato theme.
• Try a sweet topping: For a dessert or holiday-worthy hasselback sweet potato, replace the shallot in the first butter mixture with honey or brown sugar, and replace the pepper with cinnamon or fall spices. Skip the bread crumb topping, and let the brown sugar mixture shine.
• Make a minimalist hasselback sweet potato: Make the initial butter mixture as directed, adding the chopped herbs to the mix. Skip the breadcrumb topping.

How to Store Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Your hasselback sweet potatoes will last for a few days in the refrigerator. You might lose some of the initial caramelized crispness of the textured slices, but they will still taste wonderful.

How long do hasselback sweet potatoes last?

Hasselback sweet potatoes will last up to four days if stored covered in the refrigerator. You can also store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to three months, but the texture might become softer from freezing and thawing.

How do you reheat hasselback sweet potatoes?

To reheat your sweet potatoes, you can do what you would to reheat a baked potato. Reheat them in a 350° oven until warmed through. If they’re a bit soggy on top, reheat them uncovered. Cover them loosely with foil if they start to get too crispy in the oven.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes Tips

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Do you need to soak sweet potatoes before baking?

No, you need not soak your sweet potatoes first. Soaking potatoes is useful for getting crispy oven-baked fries, but it’s not needed for this recipe. Simply scrub your sweet potatoes and get cooking.

How do you get hasselback sweet potatoes crispy?

To ensure your hasselback sweet potatoes bake up crispy, avoid a common cooking mistake: overcrowding the skillet. Otherwise, they won’t get proper airflow to crisp up the exteriors, and you’ll end up with soft, steamed sweet potatoes instead (still delicious, but not what you’re going for).

What can you serve with hasselback sweet potatoes?

You can dress these sweet potatoes up or down. Go casual with beef or veggie burger recipes and a side salad, or go upscale with cast-iron skillet steak and roasted asparagus spears.