Garlic Rosemary Hasselback Potatoes

I always buy potatoes by the bag, as they are only rarely ever sold individually here in Grenada. A whole bag is usually too much for me to finish, so I tend to have leftover potatoes sitting around. I was studying one night when I got hungry and decided to make a potato dish and finally use up the potatoes I had in my cupboard. I searched online and found an interesting twist on the baked potato. My recipe here is a version of Hassleback Potatoes, which I found out were originally a Swedish side dish, and are usually baked with breadcrumbs and sprinkles of parmesan cheese. I decided to steal the idea of slicing them in that particular way but took a different route in seasoning them. They came out delicious, with a lovely crispiness on the outside.

Ingredients:

     3 potatoes, peeled and washed

     2 tablespoons of olive oil

     1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary

     1 garlic clove

     salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F. Make crosswise slits into each potato, about 1/8 inch apart, but stopping before you reach the bottom of the potato. That way, the potato will fan open but the pieces will be held together at the bottom. Soak the potatoes in cold water while you get the oil ready. 

Prepared potatoes soaking

Rosemary-garlic infused oil

To make a garlic paste, finely chop the clove of garlic. Sprinkle a little bit of salt over the pieces, and use the side of the knife to press down and rub the garlic against the cutting board. Repeat 2-3 times over the garlic until it is all crushed. (Here is a video I found that demonstrates the technique: How to Make Garlic Paste) In a small bowl, mix the oil, rosemary, salt, and garlic paste together. Set the oil aside to infuse.

Remove each of the potatoes from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel. Coat them with the infused oil and place on a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about an hour or until golden and crispy at the edges, flipping them once towards the end.