Grilled Hasselback Potatoes With Garlic and Parmesan

Each slit in Hasselback potatoes is an opportunity to add flavor. Here we opt for thinly sliced garlic and parm, then finish the spuds on the grill.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated August 26, 2024
Closeup of Grilled Hasselback Potatoes With Garlic and Parmesan cooking on a grill grate.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • Placing potatoes between two chopsticks before slicing ensures the knife will not sever them.
  • Par-cooking the potatoes in the microwave speeds up cooking and keeps them from drying out on the grill.

Is there something wrong with me? How hadn't I seen Hasselback potatoes before? Whatever reason these beautiful spuds took so long to come into my life, I quickly made up for lost time by taking them straight to the grill.

While the presentation of a Hasselback is top-notch, the prep can be tricky so I took some cues from Cook's Country and first cut a level base on each spud, then rested them between two chopsticks to prevent slicing all the way through when cutting the slits.

After a kickstart to cooking in the microwave, I tucked thinly sliced parmesan and garlic into some of the slits, the grilled them over indirect high heat.

It took about 45 minutes of additional cooking to get these taters soft on the inside with slightly crisp edges, but the long cook and prep was well worth it. The fanned Hasselback potatoes were picture-perfect and had a great flavor from the nutty parmesan and softened garlic. There are so many different flavors you could stuff in those little slits.

It's almost certain that Hasselbacks, once completely absent from my life, will now be a new potato standard on my grill.

December 2011

Recipe Details

Grilled Hasselback Potatoes With Garlic and Parmesan Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 65 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 75 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed

  • 4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 4 ounces parmesan cheese, 2 ounces thinly sliced, 2 ounces grated

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Cut off a thin slice of each potato lengthwise to create a even base for potato to rest on. Slice off ends of each potato. Rest potato between two chopsticks or wooden spoons to act as a stop for the knife and carefully cut vertical slits in each potato about every 1/8-inch.

    A potato is sliced between two chopsticks, thereby preventing the knife from going all the way through.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. Rinse potato under running water, fanning out to rinse inside of cut slits. Place potatoes on a plate and microwave at high for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes over and microwave again for an additional 5 minutes.

    The sliced potatoes are rinsed.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  3. Tuck slices of garlic and parmesan in slits in the potatoes, it does not have to be in every slit. Brush potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle tops with grated parmesan.

    Closeup of the prepped, par-cooked potatoes, dusted with parmesan cheese.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place potatoes on cool side of grill, cover, and cook until soft in the center and crisp around the edges, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from grill, let cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately while still warm.

    Closeup ofthe potatoes cooking on a grill grate.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Special Equipment

Grill, chimney starter, chopsticks

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
352Calories
15gFat
42gCarbs
13gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories352
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g19%
Saturated Fat 5g27%
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 851mg37%
Total Carbohydrate 42g15%
Dietary Fiber 4g15%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 15mg76%
Calcium 280mg22%
Iron 2mg12%
Potassium 1019mg22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes