Mini Hasselback Potatoes
Mini Hasselback Potatotes are made with fingerlings, brushed with garlic butter three times as they bake, and served with sour cream and chives. Mixed red and gold fingerlings make a colorful, bite-size Thanksgiving or holiday appetizer.
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I’m always looking for new excuses to add potatoes to the table, and these Mini Hasselback Potatoes work well for adding an appetizer to your menu. They take seven ingredients, one baking sheet, and no complex technique. A pair of chopsticks does the hard part, stopping your knife before it slices all the way through. That leaves you with accordion potatoes that fan open in the oven for more crispy surface area.
Hasselback fingerling potatoes stay bite-size, so they fit right in with whatever else you have planned for a holiday spread. As they bake, the edges turn golden and crisp, and three coats of garlic butter work down into every cut. Set them out with a bowl of sour cream and chives, and they’re ready for the party.
If you’ve made my Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, here’s another way to enjoy these fun little spuds. When you want something more involved, my Potato Pavé and Potato Stacks are both impressive in their own ways.
Why Fingerlings Work for Hasselback Potatoes
Fingerlings are my first pick for hasselback potatoes because of their shape. Their length lets them lie flat on the cutting board and the baking sheet, so they stay steady while you slice. The thin skins crisp up in the oven, so there’s no peeling. At this size, they bake in 40 minutes, compared with an hour or more for a full-size potato.
You’ll usually find red and gold fingerlings sold together in a mixed bag, and either color works. Using both gives the platter more color for the holidays.
Other small, thin-skinned potatoes work too, like baby Yukon Golds or small red potatoes. Rounder potatoes tend to roll while you slice, so trim a thin strip off the bottom to give them a flat base.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe requires a short list of ingredients. Start with fingerling potatoes, red, gold, or a mix, choosing ones similar in size so they bake evenly. Butter, garlic, salt, and pepper season the potatoes. Sour cream and fresh chives add the finishing touches. You can find the full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make Mini Hasselback Potatoes
Slicing is the only step that takes any focus, and chopsticks make it simple. Scrub and dry the potatoes first, since a dry surface crisps better in the oven. Lay a potato between two chopsticks or wooden spoon handles, then make thin crosswise cuts down its length, about ¼ inch apart. The chopsticks stop the knife about two-thirds of the way through, so every slice stays attached at the base for that signature accordion finish.
Melt the butter just until it starts to bubble, then turn off the heat and stir in the garlic. The warm butter picks up the garlic flavor in about a minute. When you brush the potatoes, dip into the butter and leave the garlic in the pan. Any loose bits that land on the baking sheet will scorch.
The potatoes bake for 40 minutes total, with a fresh coat of garlic butter at the 15-minute and 30-minute marks. With each round, the slices open a little wider and the butter runs deeper into the cuts. They’re done when the edges are golden and crisp and a knife slides easily into the center. Let them rest a few minutes before moving them to a platter. You also can turn the oven to broil for the last 2 minutes for even crispier tops.
Serving suggestions
Serve these warm or at room temperature. They hold up well as they cool, so they can sit out with the rest of your appetizers. For a party, pile them on a platter with sour cream on the side for dipping. For a plated starter, top each potato with a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives.
If you’re looking for other small bites to pair with these, try my Smoked Salmon Mousse on cucumber slices or crackers. I don’t recommend making these mini hasselback potatoes ahead, since they’re best fresh from the oven. If you need to reheat them, they’re best reheated in the oven to maintain their crispy edges.
Mini Hasselback Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, mixed colors if available
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scrub the potatoes and pat them completely dry.
- Lay one potato between two chopsticks or wooden spoon handles. Make thin crosswise cuts down the length of the potato, about ¼ inch apart or less, stopping when the knife is about two-thirds of the way through. Use chopsticks as a guide, or see notes for other recommendations. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to bubble. Turn off the heat, stir in the garlic, and let it infuse for about 1 minute.
- Arrange the potatoes cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with garlic butter, working it into the cuts and leaving the garlic in the saucepan. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Remove, brush with garlic butter again, and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.
- Brush the potatoes one last time and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges are golden and crisp and a knife slides easily into the center.
- Let the potatoes rest for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with chives, and serve with sour cream on the side to dollop the tops.
Notes
- Chopsticks or wooden spoon handles on either side of the potato act as a stop for the knife, so the slices stay connected at the base.
- If a fingerling rolls while you slice, trim a thin strip off the bottom so it sits flat.
- The garlic is there to flavor the butter. Leave the minced bits in the saucepan when brushing, since any that land on the pan will scorch in the oven. If you do get garlic pieces in the potatoes, simply brush any burnt bits off before plating.
- Three coats of butter need the full 5 tablespoons for good coverage. If the butter firms up between rounds, rewarm it briefly over low heat.
- Choose fingerlings of similar size so they bake evenly. Larger potatoes may need a few extra minutes. Check doneness with a knife.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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