This is our new favourite way to roast root vegetables. Hasselback Fingerling Potatoes, or Potato a la Hasselbacken, are named after the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm. This ingenious method gets flavour right into the vegetable and produces the most satisfying texture – crispy and golden on the outside, and brilliantly tender on the inside.
This simple recipe alone is worth growing Banana Fingerling potatoes for. Seriously.
Ingredients:
About 1 lb fingerling potatoes
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
The whole trick with this recipe is in the preparation. After washing the potatoes under running water, allow them to dry. Place each potato on its flattest side between two chopsticks. Use a paring knife to slice through the potato – the chopsticks will prevent the knife from going all the way through. Make a slice to the chopstick level every 5mm (¼”) down the length of each potato. Set aside.
Place a pinch of sea salt in a mortar. Add 10 to 12 individual leaves of rosemary and use the pestle to grind the leaves to a pulp against the salt. Add the olive oil, and continue grinding until the rosemary emulsifies in the oil. It will be a pleasant green colour. Place the oil in a shallow dish.
Carefully dip the splayed cut side of each potato into the oil so that every crevice is exposed to it. Then lay the potatoes, cut-side-up, in a rimmed baking or roasting tray. Drizzle any remaining oil over the potatoes and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast approximately 30 minutes, but begin checking at 20 minutes. The desired texture will be crunchy and golden on the outside. By then the potatoes will be tender and evenly cooked.
This method works with parsnips, carrots, and other potatoes, but try it with fingerlings. Variations involve grinding toasted bread crumbs, hazlenuts, pine nuts, or parmesan cheese over the cooked potatoes, but they’re worth serving on their own. The rosemary can be swapped out for most other fresh herbs, including thyme, chives, and garlic.
