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Hasselback potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes, because you get the ideal potato-to-topping ratio and a balance of texture between the crisped edges and soft inside.
They’re also special, because they just look fancy.
Usually, I make them with Idaho potatoes, butter, shallots and garlic. Sometimes, I even make them with mini potatoes, but today, I’m pulling out the big guns and using sweet potatoes.
How to Slice a Hasselback Potato
No matter the hasselback recipe you follow and the type of potato you use, the first step is learning the slicing technique. You want to create 1/4-inch slices along the potato without cutting all the way through. If you do that, you would just have chips.
The secret is to place the potato between two wooden spoons. The spoons will act as a barrier to stop the knife from going all the way down. The spoons don’t have to be wooden, but if you use plastic, your knife might scratch them. And if you use metal spoons, it’s not so great for your knife.
Cooking a Hasselback – Sweet Potato Style
Sweet potatoes are actually delicious and healthy when you eat them plain with a pinch of salt, but when you add all the goodness of sweet potato casserole fuggedaboutit.
You need to cook this recipe in a pan, because it’s going to be oozing with butter and marshmallows. When grilling, I like using a cast iron skillet.
Place your sliced sweet potatoes right in the skillet and add 4 tablespoons of butter and some fall spices, like cinnamon, cloves and allspice. I prefer using the whole stick, cloves and berries, because they release more essential oils during the cooking process, but it’s perfectly fine to use ground spices, too.
Then, add more butter on top of each potato.
Setup the grill to 400F degrees with an indirect cooking zone. You don’t want the flame directly under the skillet, or the bottoms will burn. Go indirect by either using a pellet grill, a ceramic cooker with a diffuser, a charcoal grill with coals pushed to the opposite side or a gas grill with 1-2 burners turned off.
You can also bake these in a 400-degree oven.
As the hasselback sweet potatoes bake, the butter will melt and become flavored by the spices. Baste this tasty concoction all over the potatoes every 20-30 minutes.
Once they potatoes are tender, add the magic. Spear on some marshmallow full and sprinkle the tops with brown sugar and pecans.
Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until that fluff is melted and oozing between each slice. For final decadence, spoon on some more butter just before serving.
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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 10 whole cloves
- 10 whole allspice berries
- salt
- 1/3 cup marshmallow fluff
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Heat grill to 400F degrees with indirect heat.
- Place a sweet potato on the cutting board between the handles of two wooden spoons. With a knife, cut the potato into 1/8-inch slices, being careful not to cut all the way through (the spoon handles will stop the knife just in time). Repeat with remaining potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in a cast iron skillet. Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan along with the cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice.
- Sprinkle salt on each potato and top each with one tablespoon butter.
- Place the skillet on the grill over indirect heat.
- After 30 minutes, tilt the pan and spoon the melted butter over each potato.
- Close the lid and continue grilling. Baste with the butter every 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Smear marshmallow fluff over each potato. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans. Grill for another 5 minutes. Baste with butter for a final time. Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
