Saddlepback potatoes, also known as Hasselback or Accordion Potatoes, are essentially a Swedish recipe which has traveled over time to various parts of the world. Although not very different from Baked Potatoes, the Saddleback recipe has a unique identity of its own. Once cooked, the preparation is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. The recipe has its roots in Sweden and is named after Hasselbacken, a Stockholm restaurant which first served the preparation in the 1700s. After becoming a favorite of the people in Stockholm and Sweden, the popularity of the dish spread. The potatoes are a common household preparation and are served in restaurants and eateries around the world.
50 g butter
50 ml olive oil
30 baby potatoes or 15 medium potatoes
Maldon salt
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 º C for for baby potatoes or 210 º C for medium potatoes.
- Peel the potatoes or leave them unpeeled if preferred – be sure to scrub the potatoes very well with a vegetable brush if you are planning on leaving the skin on!
- Work with one potato at a time and place it on a chopping board on its flat side with the wide side facing you.
- Cut the potato across the top with a utility knife in 5 mm intervals. Do not cut deeper than one third of the height of the potato, i.e. only cut until the knife disappears, then stop cutting.
- Place the butter and oil in a roasting pan and heat it in the oven until sizzling.
- Transfer the potatoes to the roasting pan and coat them in the oil mixture on all sides.
- Take the Maldon salt between you fingers and crush it before sprinkling it onto each potato.
- Roast the baby potatoes for about 40 minutes and the medium potatoes for 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Turn the potatoes halfway through the cooking time and spoon the oil mixture over them.
- Transfer to a warmed serving platter and serve as the starch component of a meal.
6 servings.
Note
Baby potatoes should be about 60 g each and the larger potatoes 100 g each.
