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Crispy Baked Potatoes with a Taste of the Mediterranean

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD

hasselback

I was going to make some oven roasted potatoes Greek style with lemon and olive oil but was looking for something a bit different to entice the boys. I came across these fanned potatoes known as Hasselback potatoes, named after a restaurant in Sweden that came up with this recipe. Apparently it was decided to cut the potato in really thin slices, but maintain its shape, so that it would require less time to bake, compared to classic baked potatoes.

I thought these looked really cool and so I tried them by adding of course, some Mediterranean ingredients. The traditional recipe uses butter and sometimes breadcrumbs, for this version I left the peel on (more fiber) used olive oil, added garlic and accompanied it with a Greek yogurt-herb sauce.

I baked these in the oven, but you can also barbecue them, by covering them with foil. The skin was crunchy and the garlic flavor was very mild since it was roasted. I like the taste of potatoes in whatever form, and I am happy with just a bit of salt, the yogurt works well here and this potato really does not need all those other toppings you often see such as cheese and bacon.

Potato Greek style

Crispy Fanned Baked Potatoes with a Taste of the Mediterranean

INGREDIENTS

  • Baking potatoes
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt/Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Oregano

Yogurt sauce

  • Lowfat Greek yogurt
  • Parsley
  • Dill

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 Celsius).

2. Wash and scrub potatoes

3. Place potato on a cutting board and start cutting almost through as in photo. Do this with all the potatoes.

4. Slice garlic cloves in thin slices and place a few in between.

5. Place potatoes on a pan and add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil on each potato. I used a brush to make sure the whole potato is covered with oil.

6. Sprinkle some thick salt and pepper.

7. Bake in the oven for about 40-60 minutes.

8. In the meantime put yogurt in a small bowl and add some chopped dill and parsley and mix.

9. Serve potatoes with some sauce on the side or with a dollop on top and some sprinkled dry oregano.

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

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8 Comments

  1. This made me smile 🙂 Here I am, a native Swede looking for Greek recipes and couldn’t help reading your notes on Hasselbackspotatis. Here is a tip that makes it easier for you not to cut through the whole potato by mistake. If you place the potato in a shallow wooden spoon, the sides of the spoon will prevent you from cutting too deeply by accident.

    Now, I will go and try some of your Greek recipes you so generously are sharing. THANKS SO MUCH!

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  2. We loved these. I did increase the garlic slivers since (1) we love garlic, and (2) that helped hold the potato open. They almost had the texture of potato-skins which were a popular appitizer many years ago, but these were minus the unhealthy cheese and bacon. They also looked so cool for serving. Would also be good made from small red potatoes–just adjust the cooking time. Thanks for a great recipe.

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  3. I made these for dinner tonight and my family loved them. Thanks a lot for the great, healthy, simple recipes; the ones I’ve tried so far turn out perfectly, please keep ’em coming!

    Reply