The Best Easy Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

5 from 4 votes

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Loaded Hasselback potatoes are brushed with garlic butter, stuffed with cheese, and topped with all the fixings!

Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes, some of which have bacon and sour cream on top.

Have you ever seen a Hasselback potato? My kids had not before I made this recipe. When Charlie tried it, he said, “Please do not make potatoes any other way ever again.” And that, my friends, is what people like me live for.

In this recipe, the potatoes are brushed with a wonderful garlic-infused butter. Then, just before the potatoes finish baking, you slip a slice of melty, nutty cheese between every other slice. The cheese melts gently into the creamy, crispy potatoes, and the end result is every bit as gorgeous and delicious as you might imagine. Essentially, cheesy Hasselback potatoes are a vertical potato gratin! I think Charlie may be right — this might be the best thing that can possibly happen to a potato.

Lined baking sheet of Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes topped with bacon and sour cream.

Loaded Hasselback Potatoes: An irresistible Hasselback potatoes recipe with all the good stuff—garlic butter, cheese, bacon, sour cream, chives!

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What Is a Hasselback Potato?

As you’ve probably figured out from the photos, a Hasselback potato is a potato that is thinly sliced — but not all the way through — before baking. The result is almost like a line of thick, chewy potato chips. Sometimes, they are also called accordion potatoes.

They are often brushed with butter or oil before baking, and I’m all over that with some garlicky butter. But with the loaded Hasselbacks, things get even better. Cheese, bacon, scallions, and bacon — so much more to love.

Lined baking sheet of Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes.

How Did Hasselback Potatoes Get Their Name?

This potato dish originated in a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, called Hasselbacken, which has been around since the 1700s. Supposedly, a student chef named Lief Ellison invented them in the 1950s, although, as with many culinary origin stories, there is some dispute about both the inventor and the timeframe. The location seems to be agreed upon, however — Hasselbacken is hard to argue with.

How to Slice Hasselback Potatoes

This Hasselback potato slicing technique is similar to the one I use when cutting bread for garlic bread. You create guardrails of sorts by using chopsticks or the handles of wooden spoons placed alongside the potatoes lengthwise. Then, when you make your slices, the rods stop the knife from cutting all of the way down without you having to be super focused on it. The slices will all be held together at the bottom of the potato. They don’t have to be perfect; your Hasselback potatoes will still look smashing.

Loaded Hasselback Potato Ingredients

Potatoes, bacon, chees, fresh herbs, and other ingredients for hasselback potatoes.
  • Potatoes – The type of potatoes you use is up to you. It can work with any type; I personally prefer medium Idaho russet potatoes. Scrub them before cooking with them to get any remaining dirt off.
  • Unsalted butter – A whole stick. Trust me, it’s necessary.
  • Garlic – Finely minced garlic is the key to creating finger-licking-good garlic butter to layer on top of these potatoes.
  • Paprika – To round out the flavor of the garlic butter, use sweet, hot, or smoked paprika — dealer’s choice.
  • Parsley – Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley adds green freshness to the butter.
  • Salt and pepper – To taste.
  • Cheese – Cheddar, Gruyere, or some other hard, melting cheese gets slotted between thin slices of potatoes. You’ll want to thinly slice your cheese into pieces that are about 1-inch square, and you’ll need about 48 slices. The prep for this is a great job to delegate to the kids! Or you can buy presliced sticks of cheese, which work really well in this recipe.
  • Toppings – How you top the potatoes is up to you. I love them with sour cream and chives. Oh, and also bacon. (Lots of bacon.)
Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potato on a plate.

How to Cook Hasselback Potatoes

  1. Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet or a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  2. Make garlic butter: In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter with the garlic over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is golden but not browned, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and stir in paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  3. Cut into the potatoes: Place two chopsticks, or the handles of wooden mixing spoons, along the long sides of each potato, one by one, and use a large sharp knife to slice the potatoes crosswise into ¼-inch slices, stopping once the knife reaches the wooden rods.
  4. Dress the potatoes: Place the sliced potatoes on the prepared baking sheet or pan, and use a brush to spread the butter mixture between the slices, being careful not to split the potatoes through the bottom. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the garlic butter.
  5. Bake: Bake for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and nicely browned along the edges of the slices. Remove the potatoes from the oven, but keep the oven on.
  6. Add cheese and remaining butter: Slide one slice of the cheese into the space between every two slices of potato. Repeat for all of the potatoes. Brush the top of the potatoes with the remaining garlic butter. Bake for about 5 more minutes until the cheese is just starting to become melty.
  7. Serve: Remove the Hasselback potatoes from the oven and serve hot with the bacon, sour cream, and chives.
Cheesy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes, some of which have bacon and sour cream on top.

How to Reheat Hasselback Potatoes

If you know you are making the Hasselbacks to be reheated later, bake them for 1 hour, but then take them out of the oven before you add the cheese slices. Reheat them in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then slip in the cheese and bake for the final 5 minutes as directed.

If the cheese has already been added, you can still reheat them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 425 degrees, but the cheese will probably get very melty and drip out of the slices. I would use a spatula to scrape any melted cheese from the bottom of the baking dish and slather it over the top of the hot potatoes.

FAQs

What are the best potatoes for Hasselback potatoes?

The best potatoes to use for Hasselback potatoes are medium-sized russet potatoes. These are the best potatoes for baking in general — they’re generally larger and low in moisture, with a starchy interior that mashes quite easily.

What does the word Hasselback mean?

Hasselback is actually a name. These potatoes get their name from a restaurant in Sweden called Hasselbacken, where they are said to have been invented in the 1950s.

What is the easiest way to cut Hasselback potatoes?

Take two rods — I like to use chopsticks or the handles of wooden spoons for this — and lie them on either side of your potato. Then, cut down with your knife. The rods should stop you from cutting all the way through the potato, leaving you with even potato slices that are still connected at the bottom.

What to Serve With Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback potatoes with sour cream, chives and bacon in a pan.

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5 from 4 votes

Loaded Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

Loaded Hasselback potatoes are brushed with garlic butter, stuffed with cheese, and topped with all the fixings!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 6 People

Ingredients 

  • 6 medium Idaho russet potatoes (scrubbed; about 10 ounces each)
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon paprika (sweet, hot, or smoked, your choice)
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 12 ounces cheddar, Gruyere, or another hard melting cheese (thinly sliced into pieces about 1 inch square; about 48 slices)

To Serve (all optional, pick and choose)

  • 4 strips crumbled or chopped cooked bacon
  • Sour cream
  • Minced chives

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet or a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  • In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter with the garlic over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is golden but not browned, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and stir in paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  • Place two chopsticks, or the handles of wooden mixing spoons, along the long sides of each potato, one by one, and use a large sharp knife to slice the potatoes crosswise into ¼-inch slices, stopping once the knife reaches the wooden rods.
  • Place the sliced potatoes on the prepared baking sheet or pan, and use a brush to spread the butter mixture between the slices, being careful not to split the potatoes through the bottom. There should be only about one tablespoon of the butter mixture left.
  • Bake for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender and nicely browned along the edges of the slices. Remove the potatoes from the oven, but keep the oven on.
  • Slide one slice of the cheese into the space between every two slices of potato. Repeat for all of the potatoes. Brush the top of the potatoes with the remaining garlic butter. Bake for about 5 more minutes until the cheese is just starting to become melty.
  • Remove the hasselback potatoes from the oven and serve hot with the bacon, sour cream, and chives.

Notes

  • If you know you are making the Hasselbacks to be reheated later, bake them for an hour, but then take them out of the oven before you add the cheese slices. Reheat them in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then slip in the cheese and bake for the final 5 minutes as directed.
  • If the cheese has already been added, you can still reheat them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 425 degrees, but the cheese will probably get very melty and drip out of the slices. I would use a spatula to scrape any melted cheese from the bottom of the baking dish and slather it over the top of the hot potatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 21g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 103mg, Sodium: 474mg, Potassium: 978mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1239IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 438mg, Iron: 2mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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9 Comments

  1. Added Parmesan and chives. If I had bacon I would have added that. These are so delicious. Bought a hassle back slicer at home goods- lazy, I know but works great. I also microwaved potatoes briefly to speed up the cooking time-yup impatient too!

  2. Using chopsticks so it cuts to exactly the right place is brilliant! Never done that before. Did your recipe exactly the first time and LOVED it! Second time, I decided to use gorgonzola which I crumbled over the top (and pushed in between the slices)- was wonderful too!

  3. My name’s Bob I’m 73 and I’m not a chef but I am a pretty good cook I will be making this Hasselback recipe this weekend for my wife and I it looks amazing and can’t be that hard to do except for slicing the potato but I’ll get it done as for the cheese any cheese you buy at almost any store will slice it for you at the deli to whatever thickness you want‍♂️