Hasselback Potatoes with Macadamia Nut Pesto
By: Jannese Torres-...
Published: Monday, October 6, 2014 - 7:16pm

Ingredients




2 medium Idaho potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
truffle salt, to taste
2 tablespoons of European style butter
2 tablespoons of homemade pesto or store-bought pesto

Preparation

1 Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. 2 Wash and scrub the potatoes, and dry them thoroughly. 3 There's a lot of different ways to cut the characteristic Hasselback slits into the potatoes, I use a plastic lid from a food storage container. Lay the potato next to it, and the knife will hit the plastic before you can fully cut through the potato. 4 Place the potatoes into a bowl with cold water, to rinse away the excess starch. Be sure to gently separate the petals to allow the water to wash away all the excess starch between them. 5 Dry the potatoes, then tuck the sliced garlic and chopped herbs between the petals, distributing them evenly. 6 Liberally salt the potatoes with the truffle salt, making sure to tuck some into the layers. 7 Place the potatoes into a baking sheet, and dab them with a pat of butter. I like creating aluminum foil nests for the potatoes to cook in, this helps contain the melted butter, and making basting them a breeze. 8 Bake the potatoes for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes with the melted butter to get them extra crispy. 9 Top each potato with a tablespoon of the pesto, and serve hot.

About

Hasselback potatoes are a thing of beauty, the accordian-like slices create a contrast of textures – you get crispy edges and a soft, pillowy interior, which to me, equals bliss.  Plus, these little pockets are perfect to stuff with delicious things like herbs and butter.  I doll these babies up with French butter, shaved garlic, truffle salt, thyme, rosemary, and a verdent streak of Macadamia Nut Pesto.   Feel free to use whatever herbs you have in your fridge or herb garden; this recipe is totally customizable to what’s available in your kitchen.