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Friday, November 18, 2011

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes


Sweet potatoes are a staple on our Thanksgiving table, candied sweet potatoes to be exact.  But this year I wanted to try something different.  I’ve been experimenting some stuffed Hasselback sweet potatoes.  A Hasselback potato is one that’s thinly sliced, topped with bread crumbs and herbs, and then roasted.  Traditionally, it made with russet potatoes but I’m fond of tweaking tradition a little so I went with sweet potatoes instead.  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods and considered to be a “superfood” on all of those “foods you should eat” lists. Then, there’s also the fact that I’m allergic to all other potatoes.  I was curious about the origins of the name and from what I’ve read, Hasselback potatoes came from the restaurant of the Hasselbacken Hotel in Stockholm Sweden some time in the 1940’s.
Start by choosing some evenly shaped sweet potatoes, they’re easier to slice.


Next, you want to peel them, at least the top 3/4 and leave the peel on the bottom part that sits on the pan.  The trick to slicing the potatoes almost all of the way through is to lay two chopsticks on either side, that way you won’t accidentally cut them too far.


Once you’ve cut them, carefully rub them with some olive oil and put them in an oiled roasting dish or pan.  For easier clean up I recommend lining your pan with some parchment paper.  I didn’t do this the first time but I will next time, the pan had to soak awhile to come clean. Preheat your oven to 400°
I stuffed my sweet potatoes with a combination of apples, cranberries and pecans. I mixed them with some Earth Balance butter substitute, maple syrup, applesauce and cinnamon to create a sauce to “glue” it all together.  Feel free to make substitutions here.  You can use walnuts instead of pecans, or  leave out the nuts altogether. (That’s for you TC) You could also substitute pears instead of apples and use raisins or chopped figs in place of the cranberries.  You could also use some agave or honey in place of the maple syrup.  Lots of room for creativity.



I recommend that you finely dice the peeled apples, these were a little too chunky and made it difficult to stuff them between the slices.



Carefully push some of the stuffing between the slices of potato.  The rest you can pile on the top.  Drizzle any remaining liquid over them as well.


Cover the dish with foil and bake them in the oven for 40 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on the topping so it doesn’t burn.  After they’re done you may want to drizzle a little more maple syrup over them if they seem dry.  If you going to serve these for Thanksgiving, I would recommend cutting each one in half.   
Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Serves 2-4 - Use organic ingredients whenever possible
2 sweet potatoes 
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter substitute (chopped in little pieces)
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup 
1/4 cup chopped pecans 
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup peeled and finely diced apple
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 400
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes 3/4 of the way, leaving some peel on the bottom of the potato.
Lay wooden chop sticks on each side of the potato and slice as thinly as you can.
Rub them with a little olive oil.
Oil a baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.
Carefully try to push some of the stuffing mixture between the slices.
Pile the remaining stuffing on top of each potato.  
Drizzle any remaining liquid over the potatoes.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the topping.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

58 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, I can't wait to try these. I love sweet potatoes anyway you can fix them.

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  2. A friend makes regular potatoes that, thanks to you, I now know are a spin on Hasselback potatoes. She uses mushroom soup, cheese and french fried onions. I'm excited to try your sweetpotato version!

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  3. looks awesome!! any suggestions for a butter substitute?? something that is not dairy? thanks!!

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    Replies
    1. I always use coconut oil. It is delicious and very healthy!!

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    2. I always use country crock plant based butter. Either olive oil or coconut oil. They carry it in cube or dish/spread.

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  4. Adina - I used a non dairy butter substitute, Earth Balance. It's my favorite because the oils are expeller pressed and not hydrogenated.

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  5. I make something similar but cut it all up and put it in the crockpot - yum!

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  6. I made this last night using coconut oil instead of Earth Balance, it was delicious! Even my dog went crazy for it. :)

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  7. Ghee. It's butter with all the dairy heated out of it and strained with cheesecloth. You can do it yourself or buy at any grocery. I believe it is very popular in India. Tastes like heaven.


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  8. uhmmm it lookd delicious! thank you
    a hug from Denmark
    Juanita

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  9. I just made this and it was soooo delicious. I made it as a side dish with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.
    Thank you!

    Katina

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  10. I'm in Canada so too late for Thanksgiving this year but I will try it for Christmas. I'm thinking of using my mandolin on the apples so I can stick a slice between each sweet potato slice. My hubby made 'normal' potatoes like this a few weeks back and read to put a metal skewer through the base of the potato to avoid cutting too far but I like your idea better, especially for wonky shaped sweet potatoes.

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  11. this is one of the dishes I am going to make for Thanksgiving! :) Thank you for the inspiration. I featured this recipe on my blog today... http://peacelovequinoa.com/2012/11/20/thanksgiving-recipes-vegan-gluten-free/

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  12. Substitute for butter could be coconut oil ...
    I am excited to try this recipe!! Love sweet potatoes. And I just bought fresh cranberries for a pie, so I will substitute fresh cranberries and possibly pear instead of apple =)

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  13. These look wonderful! I wanted to make them today but ran out of time. I will definitely be trying them soon! I don't think we have the butter substitute here, I will most likely use olive oil.

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  14. This was DELICIOUS and everyone raved over them! I did use butter, but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. Thank you!

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  15. Made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! Everyone loved them and they will now be a repeat feature at our house.

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  16. This looks great! I am looking forward to trying this out during the holidays this year =-)

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  17. trying these out for Christmas dinner this year! can't wait!! they sound AMAZING!!

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  18. Sweet potatoes are a favorite in my family and I am going to make these for Christmas, tweaking them to our tastes just a wee bit...I'll pin what they taste like and I thank you for the idea and this wonderful recipe. Can't wait to try it, and that will be soon as Christmas is not far away... Merry Christmas by the way to all!

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  19. I tried these tonight. They were good but didn't seem tender enough to me, even though I cooked them 10 extra minutes. Maybe the potatoes were too large.

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    Replies
    1. Did you cover them with foil? If you did use really large potatoes that would increase the cooking time.

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  20. you are the only other person I have heard of that is allergic to potatoes... as I am.. love sweet potatoes

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  21. I have some experience in the kitchen so I generally feel I can improvise if needed. I did just a little. I prepared for my daughter's school special lunch today. It was the most talked about dish.

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  22. THM "Brown Sugar" - 1/3c homemade Truvia and 1/4 tsp black strap molasses. Mix with a fork until nice and incorporated.

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  23. The only tweak I added was BACON!

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  24. This is amazing and you can bet it will be on my Thanksgiving table this year. Love it and Pinned it..

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  25. Can I bake these the day before and reheat in the microwave the day of? My oven space is limited.

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  26. I've never tried it, so I'm not sure. You might try a test run, make one, and see if it works.

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  27. I have never had that. I would try it in an instant. It seems easy to make and the presentation would make it a hit at any dinner. It looks so interesting with all of those ingredients. Plus, most of what you use in it is affordable.

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    Replies
    1. this dish looks yummy..I am gonna try this at home.

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  28. you are the only other person I have heard of that is allergic to potatoes... as I am.. love sweet potatoes

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  29. I can feel my low carb diet going down the drain! :-)

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  30. That should be nice and sweet. Good dish to bring to a special family gathering any time of year.

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  31. Can I bake these the day before and reheat in the microwave the day of?

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  32. Can I bake these the day before and reheat in the oven/microwave the day of?
    I can't find anyone to answer this questions or to offer any suggestions on preparing these the
    day before. These look great and I will be making these to take to our friend's home for our
    Thanksgiving feast!

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  33. I make something similar but cut it all up and put it in the crockpot - yum!

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  34. My Gran and my Mum made these during and after WW2 as ordinary white potatoes were readily available as we lived (in England) in a farming area, and we have had them ever since occasionally changing over to Sweet potatoes

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  35. Made it for Thanksgiving today -- delicious! Do cook a little longer for large potatoes. And don't skimp on the topping. Thanks for the recipe!

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  36. 40 mins covered was not quite long enough to cook potatoes all the way

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