I love spuds!
Growing up a northerner with Irish roots, potatoes were an absolute staple part of our diet and for me, that’s not changed a bit.
I’ve gone through fad diets where potatoes were banned and branded as evil but I’m very glad to say that now, armed with a lot more knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating, the humble potato forms a key part of many of our meals each week.
Potatoes are really good for us – they contribute to our vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, folate and fibre intake. When possible, eat the skins as that’s where you are going to find a lot of its fibre (plus less food wastage and time spent prepping!).
Potatoes are also one of the most versatile foods out there and you can do so much with them. Here’s one of my fave uses.
Hasselback potatoes
A cross between a jacket potato and crispy chips, I love how pretty these look but importantly, they taste amazing and are really easy to prepare!
Ingredients
- Potatoes – I usually use baby or new potatoes but try to find a bag with quite large ones in it
- Spray oil of your choice
- Seasoning of your choice
Step
One
Preheat your oven to 200 / gas mark 6
Select your potatoes! It really doesn’t matter but I try to pick out the longer oval ones that have a flatter bottom as these tend to cook more evenly and don’t roll around when you are cooking them.
Step
Two
Using a sharp knife, cut thin slices into each potato starting at the tip. You don’t want to cut too deeply as you want the bottom to stay in tact so aim to cut about 2/3 of the way down the potato.
The thinner the slices you cut, the crispier the tops become.
Step
Three
This is what your potato should look like (my slices were actually a bit too thick but they still worked beautifully)
Step
Four
Place all your potatoes uncut side down on a piece of foil or baking paper on a baking tray.
Step
Five
Spray with your oil of choice – I use an olive oil spray but you could use a low calorie spray oil option if you prefer.
Step
Six
Season with whatever you fancy – I used onion granules and black pepper for these ones.
Place them in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. I check mine part way through and turn the baking tray if needed.
Step
Seven
The finished article! Lovely and crispy on the top and nice and fluffy inside.
To Serve
You can add these to any dish that you’d normally serve with potatoes. For dinner this week, I had them with vegetarian sausages, roasted veg (making use of the oven being on) and some mushy peas.
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