Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes are crispy on the outside, soft and buttery in the middle, and deliciously flavored! And with a few simple tricks these potatoes are easy to make!

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– Jump to Recipe
– What are Hasselback potatoes?
– The key ingredients
– How to make Garlic Parmesan Hasselback potatoes
– Hasselback potato variations
– What to serve with potatoes
– Frequently asked questions

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I love potatoes! And so does the rest of my family. My husband grew up in Wisconsin, in a “meat and potatoes” household, so he still requests potatoes with many of our meals. This recipe is a fun way to add variety into your potato menu. Cheesy garlic hasselback potatoes are super simple to make, but they look so impressive! They are easy enough for a weeknight meal, and beautiful enough to for the holidays.

What Are Hasselback Potatoes?

Take a regular baked potato, cut thin slices almost all the way through, and roast it with butter, and you have yourself a Hasselback potato.

These potatoes were invented in 1953 at a Swedish restaurant called Hasselbacken. Patrons loved these potatoes and they quickly became popular around the world!

There are many ways that you can top your Hasselback potato. You could go more traditional, with cheddar cheese and bacon. But I love the simple flavors of garlic and Parmesan cheese.

The Key Ingredients

•  Potatoes: I use Russet potatoes because I love how soft and buttery they get on the inside, while crisping up nicely on the outside. You can also use a smaller white potato and even Yukon Gold potatoes work well! If you are using a smaller potato, check them for doneness after 40 minutes.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or the tub of shredded Parmesan works best for this rest. The powdery type of Parmesan will dry onto the potatoes instead of melting over them.
• Butter: I tested this recipe with all butter, and with a mixture of butter and oil. All butter produces the best flavor, and I didn’t encounter any problems with it burning.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic has a big difference in flavor versus garlic powder. If you do not own a garlic press, this is the one that I recommend. I have had mine for over 20 years, and use it almost every day! In a pinch, you could also use minced garlic from a jar.
• Salt and Pepper: I hate it when recipes say “salt to taste” but it is kind of necessary with this recipe, as potatoes vary in size. I mixed up about a teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper, then sprinkled it generously over the 4 potatoes, using most, but not all, of the mixture.

How to Make Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes

How to Cut the Potatoes

•  This is the trickiest part of making Hasselback potatoes, but good news – it’s actually not difficult at all!
• Place a wooden spoon on either side of your potato. If you do not have wooden spoons then you can use two chopsticks.
• Slice through the potato until you hit the spoon. This should be a half-inch or so from the bottom of the potato.
• Move your knife over 1/8-1/4-inch, and cut another slice.
• Repeat until the potato has slices all the way through.

Tips for Baking

•  These can get a little messy since you will be basting the potatoes with butter, so for easy cleanup, line your baking sheet with foil.
• Use a baking sheet that has at least a 1-inch lip, so that the butter doesn’t roll off onto the floor over your oven.
• Spray the foil with nonstick spray so that you can easily remove the potatoes without any sticking.

Brush with Butter and Garlic

• Mix butter and garlic together in a bowl.
• Brush the potatoes with the garlic butter mixture. You may not get a lot of butter onto the potatoes with this first brushing and that is okay. It will be easier to brush on the garlic on the next round, once you have less butter, and the garlic will be plenty cooked after the later addition.
• Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes, then brush with the garlic butter again. The space in between each potato slice should be a little more open, so do your best to brush down in between the slices.
• The remaining cook time will depend on the size of your potatoes. For a medium potato, it will be an additional 20-30 minutes. For a larger potato, it will require 30-40 minutes of additional cook time.
• To test if the potatoes are done, insert a table knife into the meat part of one of the slices (not through the skin). If it goes in without resistance, like you are inserting into softened butter, then the potatoes are done.

Add the Parmesan Cheese

• Sprinkle salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese over the top of the potatoes.
• I like to push a little bit of the Parmesan cheese in between some of the slices as well.
• Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Hasselback Potato Variations

There are endless options for customizing your Hasselback potatoes! Here are some of my favorites:

• Loaded potato: Brush with butter, as directed in the regular recipe. Once potatoes have softened, top with shredded cheddar cheese and pre-cooked and crumbled bacon, and bake an additional 5 minutes. You could also add slices of cheese in between each potato slice. Add sour cream and green onions, to serve.
• Jalapeno popper: Mix together 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 4 ounces of cream cheese, and 3 tablespoons of chopped jalapenos. Spread over the top and in between potato slices half way through cooking time.
• Rosemary garlic: Chop 4 sprigs of rosemary and add to the garlic butter mixture prior to brushing over potatoes.
• Sweet potatoes: Mix 1/2 cup of butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together. Spread half over the sweet potatoes, then the remaining butter mixture and 1/4 cup chopped nuts, half way through cooking.

What Should I Serve With These Potatoes?

• Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes are a wonderful accompaniment to any meat entree, from grilled chicken, to steak or seafood!
• We enjoyed them alongside elk burgers with our Famous Food from Montana dinner!

Frequently Asked Questions