Truffled Hasselback Potatoes with Ham Crisps
D'Artagnan | Yield: 6 | Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
This easy baked potato recipe requires careful slicing, and yields crispy-on-the-outside potatoes with creamy centers. It's a showstopping side dish.
Ingredients
- Olive oil, as needed
- 6 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
- 6 tablespoons Black Truffle Butter, softened
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves chopped
- 6 slices Jambon de Bayonne
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking dish that’s large enough to hold all 6 potatoes without crowding.
- Cut the potatoes: Using chopsticks as a knife guide (see note), make several thin slices width-wise without cutting all the way through each potato. Set potatoes in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
- Evenly distribute garlic slices in between slices of potatoes. Slather each potato with softened truffle butter, stuffing a bit in between some of the slices. Sprinkle with chopped thyme.
- Bake the potatoes, uncovered, for 45 to 1 hour or until crisp on the outside yet tender on the inside. If the potatoes look like they’re starting to get too crisped, put a sheet of foil over them in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- While the potatoes are baking, make the ham crisps. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Gently lay each slice of jambon in the pan, without touching. Cook until crispy and browned, turning once. Set aside on paper towel.
- Once baked, carefully remove each potato from the pan using a flat-bottomed spatula or tongs. Garnish with ham crisps.
Recipe note: To prevent accidentally cutting all the way through the potatoes, place each potato on a cutting board then lay a chopstick on either side of the potato before slicing.