Hasselback Potatoes

My husband has been finding new recipes that sound good to him. As we age, we see our appetites are smaller and our desire to eat often seems to have dissipated. So, finding interesting and appealing recipes has become a new thing for him. As far as I'm concerned, if he will eat, I'm willing to put forth the effort.

I've seen pictures of Hasselback Potatoes and always wanted to try them but figured the boss would resist them simply because they were different or too fancy. He's a country boy who likes simple country cooking! When he shared this recipe with me, I knew I had to give it a try. It was well worth it because he ate well and loved it! A small tossed salad and a petite sirloin steak made the meal fit for a king (or the boss).

If you try to follow this recipe (or one similar), I suggest you pre-bake your potatoes until partially done, especially if they are large. Putting them in the microwave and baking for a few minutes will make all the difference in preparation and baking time! I wish I had done this but will remember this the next time I make them.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil (approx)
• coarse ground kosher or sea salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 6 strips cooked bacon
• 2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
• 6 oz sour cream

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450. Rinse your potatoes, then cut slits about 1/8 inch apart, three-quarters down the potato. To help prevent cutting through the potato, place your potato on a dishtowel between two chopsticks or skewers. As you slide through the potato, you'll hit the chopsticks before slicing completely through. It's a nice trick that works wonderfully!
• Pour olive oil over the potatoes and rub it in so the outside is covered and some oil gets into the slices.
• Sprinkle with coarse ground salt.
• Optionally, you can add butter into every other slit (no more than 1/2 stick per potato)
• Wrap the potato in tin foil then place in the oven.
• 45 minutes into cooking, open up the tinfoil so the top browns. After 60 minutes, check with a fork. The fork should poke through the potato without resistance.
• When the potato is done, top with cheese, bacon, sour cream chives, and a little more bacon for presentation. Enjoy!

The basic recipe is credited to https://www.dadwithapan.com/loaded-hasselback-potatoes/. My additional comments and suggestions in italics are not included in the original recipe.