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Hasselback Potatoes, or Potato Fans in our house, are one of my favorite budget-friendly side dishes. Crispy on the outside and tender, buttery on the inside, they feel fancy but are easy to make, versatile enough to pair with almost any main dish, and kid-friendly while still impressing guests.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Crispy and Creamy Texture: While I love recipes like Twice Baked Potatoes, these potatoes get golden, crispy edges meet a soft, buttery center in every bite. Like your favorite baked potato recipe but more fun!
- Simple and Versatile: Made with just a few ingredients, these potatoes pair perfectly with almost any main dish, like Perfect Roast Chicken, Salmon Burgers or Southern Style Pork Tenderloin.
- Kid-Friendly but Crowd-Worthy: This potato side dish is approachable enough for kids, yet impressive for entertaining or holiday meals alongside a perfectly cooked Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin.
The Ingredients
- Yukon gold potatoes: Yukon golds are creamy on the inside with thin skins that crisp beautifully. Russet potatoes also work great though!
- Olive oil: Helps the potatoes crisp and adds flavor.
- Butter: Melted butter gives these potatoes that rich, classic taste.
- Kosher salt: Simple seasoning that lets the potato shine.
Variations and Substitutions
- Potato Swap: Use russet potatoes for a fluffier interior and extra-crispy edges.
- Garlic Lovers: Add minced garlic or garlic powder to the butter mixture.
- Cheesy Twist: Sprinkle grated parmesan or shredded cheddar over the potatoes during the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Dairy-Free: Swap the butter for additional olive oil or your favorite dairy-free butter alternative.
- Herbs: Finish with fresh rosemary, thyme, or parsley.
How to Make Hasselback Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 475°F. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato so they lay flat.
- Using a sharp knife, make 20–30 thin slices lengthwise across the top of each potato, about ¼ inch apart, leaving about ½ inch at the bottom intact. Don’t cut all the way through!
- Mix the melted butter and oil in a bowl.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, brush with half of the olive oil/ butter mixture, sprinkle with salt and bake for 30 minutes.
- Brush the potatoes with the remaining oil/butter mixture and cook for an additional 45 minutes or until skin is golden and serve.
Recipe Video
Tips and Tricks
- Prevent Cutting Through: Use a wooden spoon or chopsticks on either side of the potato when slicing so your knife stops before cutting through the potato.
- Rinse Your Knife: If starch builds up on the knife while making slices, rinse it under water to help it glide through more easily.
- Basting Matters: Brushing twice helps the butter and oil get in between the slices as the potato fans out while baking.
- Space Out: Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet so the potatoes crisp evenly.
- Tent If Needed: If potatoes brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil partway through baking.
FAQs
Why aren’t my Hasselback potatoes crispy?
Make sure your oven is hot enough, you’re basting with enough butter and oil, and the potatoes have space on the pan to crisp.
Do I need to peel the potatoes for hasselback potatoes?
Nope! Leaving the skins on helps create those signature crispy edges.
More Potato Sides
These Hasselback potatoes are proof that simple ingredients can turn into something special. Crispy, buttery, and endlessly customizable, they’re the kind of side dish you’ll come back to again and again. Let me know what you think — leave a comment and rating below!
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Hasselback Potatoes (aka Potato Fans)
Hasselback potatoes are thinly sliced, but not all the way through, so they fan out while baking. Crispy on the edges and tender inside, they're an easy, impressive side dish!
Ingredients
- 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes (russet potatoes will also work great)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato so they lay flat.
- Using a sharp knife, make 20–30 thin slices lengthwise across the top of each potato, about ¼ inch apart, leaving about ½ inch at the bottom intact. Don't cut all the way through!
- Mix the melted butter and oil in a bowl.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, brush with half of the olive oil/ butter mixture, sprinkle with salt and bake for 30 minutes.
- Brush the potatoes with the remaining oil/butter mixture and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes or until skin is golden and serve.
Notes
- Prevent Cutting Through: Use a wooden spoon or chopsticks on either side of the potato when slicing so your knife stops before cutting through the potato.
- Rinse Your Knife: If starch builds up on the knife while making slices, rinse it under water to help it glide through more easily.
- Basting Matters: Brushing twice helps the butter and oil get in between the slices as the potato fans out while baking, ensuring maximum flavor.
- Space Out: Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet so the potatoes crisp evenly.
- Tent If Needed: If potatoes brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil partway through baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 637mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
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I’d love to try this with sweet potatoes – would the same temp and timing apply?
Made these tonight using russets for the fam & it was a huge hit! My one year old can manage it himself and my 6 yr old asked me to buy more potatoes and make this over and over again! <3
Wow, those look great. Excellent idea.
Saw these on Pinterest and made them for dinner tignoht we loved them. I left the cayenne out because I wanted the kids to eat them, but they didn’t anyway so next time I’ll definitely add it. Mashing worked great with a glass bowl, and I just slid to the side a little and the bowl unstuck from the sweet potato. Thanks for a great recipe!
I made these last night. I used red skinned potatoes instead and we cooked them on the BBQ… IT was sooooo good!! I had them in my toaster oven, and my husband was cooking pork chops on the BBQ and the potatoes were taking too long.. sooo i took the pan out of the the toaster oven and transfer it to the BBQ! I will make these again, but use the BBQ the whole time!
When I first saw the title of the recipe, I thought to myself “Yes, I’m a fan of Potatoes!” lol…
Great recipe, I will try this tonight. I’m sure my family will enjoy it. Thank you.
Is it truely horrible that every time I see these fans I think about the joy I would get from placing a dab of butter between each slice? In reality, I think they are yummy looking and I will have to make them!
Made these last night, and they were a HUGE hit! The boys thought they were fun. Even my husband, who is not a bug starch eater, enjoyed the crunchy and salty skins. We added sour cream and shredded cheddar on top, which was extra yummy. 🙂
These are weeelish! And sometimes I put thin slices of onion in between the potato fans.
Yum, hasselback potatoes. Did not make them for a long time. I hane to get some nice potatoes 🙂
LOVE Yukon much better than russet….
this is a neat way to try potatoes 🙂 i shall give it a try
Oh and I recently read a tip on how to cut these potatoes, though I have never tried it – put the potato in a wooden spoon and then cut, the edge of the spoon stops the knife from going all the way through.
I LOOOVEEE potatoes! Haha I will never be on board with the idea that they aren’t good for you! In a pinch I will microwave small potatoes add a dab of butter and salt… yummmm Yukons are my favorite of all, gotta try this 🙂
These are super yummy! Sadly my boy won’t touch these, or any potato. He’s gotten a sudden aversion to anything that looks like produce. 🙂
An easy way to prevent yourself from cutting all the way through the potato is to lay two chopsticks down.