Saturday 28 March 2015

New Kreation: Sliced Baked Potatoes with Herbs

I first saw the featured photo of those sliced potatoes about a year ago in some Facebook post. Only last night have I decided to give it a shot. I made two for dinner, ate one and a half, and kept the other half for the next day. And man were they yummy and simple — and cheap — to prepare.

Golden potatoes are recommended for this dish because of their light, thin skins and tasty pulp. Though one can use any other type like Red and Russet. The reason why the ones with thin skins are preferred is because they produce a light crisp when baked.

Now to the action. So, you need a few potatoes or just one.

Preheat oven to 425.

Scrub, rinse and dry the potatoes.
Cut vertically into 1/4-inch-thick slices almost 3/4 of the way through to the bottom while making sure you keep the potato whole.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. While slightly fanning the slices open, add salt, pepper and melted butter (1 spoon for each potato seems enough). Then sprinkle crushed garlic, green onions, and parsley, trying to reach in between the slices without breaking them.
Bake potatoes for about 50 minutes or until tender.
Remove sheet from oven. Still without opening the slices, add grated cheese (Cheddar and/or Parmesan and/or Mozzarella) on top and return to oven for an extra five/ten minutes, or until the cheese melts.
If the potatoes seem a little dry you can always add more melted butter (or sour cream) before serving.

Even though I'm not too fond of microwave cooking but this dish could take about 20 minutes there. The initial ten minutes, plus five more with the cheese addition, then another five to let it rest.

There are also other variations, one of which substitutes olive oil instead of butter. Others add bacon, or smoked ham, or chili, or thyme and/or chives.