Hasselback sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F/180°C fan (or 200°C conventional) and line a baking sheet with kitchen foil.

Make a series of ⅛ inch thick slices along each potato, slicing to ⅔ of the way through the potato. To achieve even cuts and ensure the knife doesn’t cut all the way through, place wooden skewers on either side of the sweet potato.

Mix the melted butter, olive oil, fresh thyme, minced garlic clove, salt, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl. Rub the mix all over the potatoes making sure it seeps down in between the slices.

Transfer the sweet potatoes to the baking sheet and roast for around 25 minutes. Remove briefly from the oven and run a fork across the top of the potatoes to fan the slices. Return to the oven and cook for a further 25 minutes until the centers of the potatoes are tender and the outside is crispy.

Tips & tricks

The trick to a tasty hasselback is to take your time with the slices and the cuts to make them as even as possible. Don’t rush this step, otherwise you’ll end up with uneven slices and the potatoes won’t cook evenly in the oven. It’s ideal to use wooden skewers or utensils, on either side of the potatoes as you want to use a tool that you won’t mind marking up a little. There’s also no need to peel the potatoes before preparing and cooking. You’ll get a crispier outer top if you leave the skin on. To make your hasselback sweet potatoes savory, try including ingredients like garlic, thyme, and even sage, to bring a savory balance to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

The flavor is all infused via the butter mixture. In the recipe above we’ve suggested using a little fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper but you could introduce other herbs like rosemary to the mix. Some chefs will even include ingredients like maple syrup and pecans to create hasselback maple pecan sweet potatoes. If you’d prefer to cook this one with potatoes though, we have a helpful guide to the finest hasselback potatoes. And to find out more about the differences between cooking with sweet potatoes and potatoes to make your final choice, we have all the information you need.

How to serve it

Hasselback sweet potatoes are a delectable side dish for the holidays, and you’ll find them perfectly at home alongside a honey-roasted ham or juicy turkey. It’s also one of our top picks for the best beef stew sides.

Storage

You can store hasselback sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to four days in an airtight container, but they’re likely to lose their crispness. You can reheat them in the oven or on the stovetop when you’re ready to enjoy them again.

Recipe variations

One of the top variations on this recipe is a hasselback sweet potato casserole. Instead of baking the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, simply transfer them to a baking dish instead and fit snugly together. After the initial 25 minutes of roasting, you’ll then remove the potatoes from the oven and cover with a crumbly casserole topping of choice, and then bake for a further 15 minutes. This is a great way to turn this side dish into a delicious main event.