Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

The best Hasselback Sweet Potatoes: tender centers, crispy and caramelized edges, and lightly herby flavor with a subtle maple twist for a comforting side dish that’ll impress!

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Looking for something super impressive, but secretly easy to make for your holiday table? I’ve got just the thing… Tender, buttery, herby, and just a bit sweet, these Hasselback Sweet Potatoes taste like the holidays in one comforting & cozy side dish.

What are Hasselback Potatoes?

Hasselback potatoes is a side dish consisting of potatoes that are thinly sliced to create a fanned look after baking.

Instead of using regular potatoes for this, we’re going to be using sweet potatoes to create Hasselback sweet potatoes.

The origins of Hasselback potatoes are murky. Some sources state that the Hasselback potatoes dish was created by a trainee chef named Leif Elisson in Djurgården, Stockholm in 1953, while some believe the dish was created in the 1940s.

The restaurant Elisson worked at was named Restaurant Hasselbacken, so you can see where the namesake of this recipe would have been derived.

According to Swedish Spoon, Hasselback potatoes (hasselbackpotatis) were created as far back as 1934. A recipe for hasselback potatoes was found in the Prinsessornas kokbok by Jenny Åkerström.

Today, we’re using this same technique to make Hasselback sweet potatoes for a deliciously sweet and comforting side dish!

The Ingredients List

The ingredients you need to make Hasselback sweet potatoes are simple and can most likely be all found in your pantry. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking.

• Sweet potatoes – find ones that are even in size and less than 8-inches in diameter. Anything larger will take these Hasselback sweet potatoes forever to cook.
• Butter – feel free to use your preferred butter, but avoid salted butter
• Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil is best
• Pure maple syrup – for that touch of sweetness
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Paprika
• Cayenne – a lovely, spicy kick to your Hasselback sweet potatoes. Feel free to leave out if you’re sensitive to spice
• Salt + pepper – as always, add salt and pepper to taste. I’ll note how much I used for my recipe, but you might like it saltier & spicier, or less so.

How to Make Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

We’re going to learn how to make Hasselback sweet potatoes by first learning how to create those beautifully sliced folds. Take a look at the photos below to help guide you.

How to Cut Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Prepare the sweet potatoes: First, wash and pat dry sweet potatoes. Lay one sweet potato flat onto a cutting board. Place a chopstick on either side of the sweet potato.

Now, using a sharp knife, slice into the potato, being careful not to cut past the chopsticks.

Slice into 1/8” to ¼” sections. The thinner the section, the faster the sweet potatoes will cook.

Next, holding the sweet potato carefully, bend to fan out the sections–this will create the signature look for Hasselback sweet potatoes.

Then, place the sweet potatoes onto a lightly greased, large baking sheet.

Prepare the Coating

To make the Hasselback sweet potatoes coating: add melted butter, olive oil, maple syrup, and all the spices to a small bowl. Whisk until well mixed.

Brush the Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Using a pastry brush, brush the sweet coating onto each sweet potato. Reserve half of the coating for later.

Then, using one hand to hold the sweet potato in place, nudge the brush in between each fold to evenly coat.

Bake and Enjoy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Now, place the baking sheet into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Then, carefully remove the sheet and brush Hasselback sweet potatoes with the remaining half of the coating.

Bake for an additional 15-40 minutes, until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Gently lift onto a serving dish and garnish with thyme and rosemary. Enjoy the best Hasselback sweet potatoes!

How do I choose the Best Sweet Potatoes for this recipe?

• Uniform in size – the closer the sweet potatoes match up in size, including diameter, length, general girth (heehee), the more evenly the Hasselback sweet potatoes will bake together.
• Smaller than 8-inches in diameter – that’s right, get out the measuring tape, but anything more will take too long to cook.
• Looks safe to eat – while not entirely scientific (okay, not at all), make sure you use sweet potatoes that don’t have anything funky on them, like growths, moldy-looking bits, and anything that you feel is odd.
• Use the best sweet potatoes for baking – according to America’s Test Kitchen, the best ones have red or orange skins, which will yield moist centers, while tan and purple skinned sweet potatoes will cook up too dry.
• It’s most important to pick sweet potatoes that are approximately the same size and length for evenly baked Hasselback sweet potatoes.

Demeter’s Tips

Remember the tips on picking the best sweet potatoes above for the best Hasselback sweet potatoes.

All sweet potatoes cook differently and at different times.

Sweet potatoes can be tricky. Just remember that they don’t all cook evenly and at the same rate. Keep an eye on the oven and periodically check the tenderness of each sweet potato.

Some Hasselback sweet potatoes may be ready to take out, others might need some additional cook time. Cook those until ready, then, add the already done ones in for the last few minutes to reheat.

Use a pastry brush. This silicone brush set has made almost every recipe prep easier. Use a pastry brush to get easily into each layer/fold of the Hasselback sweet potato. This ensures delicious flavor in every bite.

For an extra flavor punch: after baking, place the Hasselback sweet potatoes on a serving dish. Then, drizzle with maple syrup, a touch of cayenne, and an extra grind or two of fresh black pepper and salt.

More Recipes

• 27 Vegetable Side Dishes
• Maple Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes
• Blistered Green Beans
• Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
• Maple Glazed Carrots
• Vegan Brussels Sprout Recipe

Tools You Need

• Sharp chef’s knife
• Silicone basting brush
• Rose gold baking sheet
• Glass mixing bowls
• Cutting board

Hasselback to the Future!

Alright, even I don’t know what that means! Lol. Just know that I appreciate you, here, in the past, and in the future. <3 If you make this Hasselback sweet potatoes recipe, be sure to take a pic and share it on Instagram and Facebook using the tags @beamingbaker and #beamingbaker. I love seeing it! ‘Til the next one…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

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