Preparing hasselback potatoes with and without skin
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with the skins on, the way the Food Network recipe (as well as others I checked online) bakes them. Skin-on looks pretty great, and makes it much easier to spread the butter mixture evenly before putting in the oven.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
The same hasselback sweet potato done with the spuds peeled before baking. Without the skins, spreading the butter mixture evenly was nigh-impossible, but the three of us who tasted both versions agreed this were more tender and the flavors more pronounced. This was New Year’s Eve dinner, with the veggies, lobster tail and a salad. The feast opened with some shrimp bisque, and was topped with some excellent fruit cake my brother Jay bought from monk bakers.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
Ingredients for three hasselback sweet potatoes, half of what the recipe calls for.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
This is the tale of two taters — or more exactly, two versions of the same hasselback sweet potato recipe. I made them the first time for Thanksgiving dinner, and they came out of the oven looking beautiful, even evoking spontaneous “oohs” and compliments from nearby guests.
And for the most part, they were well-received on the table, though of course they competed with a lot of other items MT and I offered up for the annual feast of gratitude. My oldest brother Jay, however, took one look at them and said I “left the skins on.” It turns out he is one of those people who doesn’t eat the skins of sweet potatoes, and I understand that completely — I didn’t either, when I was younger, though mom never gave us the option. She always peeled, parboiled and then browned them a bit in a pan with butter and brown sugar.
It was probably MT who first served me a baked (or boiled) whole sweet potato, skin on, and I started eating them the same way I usually eat regular baked potatoes, skin and all. But Jay’s comment prompted two reactions: I double-checked the recipe from Food Network, and decided to try making them a second time, for New Year’s Eve, but peeling them before cutting, coating and baking.
One problem immediately arose when it came to spreading the butter mixture. With the skins on, getting an even coating proved almost effortless. Peeled, a uniform layer proved beyond my abilities, despite using a silicone spatula, offset metal spatula, brush and my hands.
Despite that, all three of us — myself, MT and her mom — agreed that the sweet potatoes peeled before baking were better. They seemed to bake more evenly, and meld better with the butter topping. It is extra work, and if you try it that way keep a close eye on them after about 30 minutes in the oven. For me they browned more quickly and were tender all the way through a good 15 minutes before the non-peeled ones.
A note on making the distinctive, pre-bake slicing. The idea of using wooden spoon handles to keep from cutting through to the bottom is smart and worked well, but you need to be careful near the ends. Depending on the shape of the individual spuds, the tips may be above the spoons making it easy to accidentally cut all the way through.
Also, it helps to buy potatoes of roughly the same size and shape, keeping in mind that you will be slicing them most of the way through and setting them on a sheet. Buying spuds with a flattish side helps, though you can make them sit better in the oven by cutting a thin slice off one side lengthwise to get the same effect.
Dobru chut!
Hasselback sweet potatoes (foodnetwork.com, Ree Drummond)
6 medium sweet potatoes
6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh sage and rosemary sprigs, for garnish
Heat the oven to 400°.
Place a potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons or chopsticks. Slice the potato into thin slices, leaving ¼ inch at the bottom unsliced; the spoons or chopsticks will prevent you slicing all the way through. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
Mix together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon with a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Using a spatula, spread the butter mixture all over the potatoes. Bake until tender and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a platter and garnish with the sage and rosemary.
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