Savory hasselback sweet potatoes featuring creamy, buttery insides, crispy skins, and loads of flavor from garlic and sage. These are simple, stunning and so dang satisfying.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
Many sweet potato side dish recipes lean sweet. I love that this recipe for hasselback sweet potatoes keeps things savory and wintery. Butter, garlic, salt and a winter herb makes for a simple yet winning flavor combo.
Aside from the savoriness and simplicity, I also love the presentation. The hasselback technique is just stunning. It looks super fancy but in reality it’s very simple and cooks the sweet potatoes quickly.
Ingredients in Hasselback Sweet Potato Recipe
- Fresh winter herb such as sage. Fresh sage is so delicious here but thyme or rosemary are also spectacular. Use what you like or already have on hand. Due to the high baking temperature, I do not recommend using dried herbs.
- Olive oil and butter. Olive oil is used to coat the skillet and start the cooking process while butter is added for flavor.
- Sweet potatoes are the star of the show here. Look for medium sweet potatoes that are fairly similar in portions and not overly bulbus.
- Fresh garlic gets mixed with melted butter and spooned over the sweet potatoes.
- Nutmeg pairs beautifully with the butter and sweet potatoes. Freshly grated with a microplane is ideal, but pre ground also works!
- Shallots are optional but add a nice depth of flavor and even more visual interest.
How to Make Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Before anything else, place a cast-iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. Using a preheated skillet means the potatoes start cooking the moment they hit the pan.
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes then dry them well. Make sure they are dried well so the exterior can get crisp.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Place the sweet potato halves, cut side down, on a cutting board. Arrange two wooden skewers or chop sticks along the length of the sweet potato and then cut ⅛-inch thick slices, crosswise, about 80% through the potato. The most important thing is to not cut all the way through the potato, you want the slices to be able to fan out once cooked but still have a solid base that holds them all together.
- Transfer the sliced potatoes to the preheated and oiled cast-iron skillet. Drizzle each potato with a bit of oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic, salt and nutmeg and cook briefly. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the sage.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, separate the slices with a knife for fork, then spoon the butter mixture over top. Continue baking 10 minutes.
- An optional, but recommended step, is to broil the potatoes at the end of cooking. This crisps the skins and adds a bit of color (aka flavor).
Tips for Cutting Sweet Potatoes Hasselback-Style
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise first. This gives you a flat edge to work with which means you won’t be dealing with a rolling potatoes. And it makes for a shorter cooking time.
- Use “bumpers.” Similar to bumpers used in bowling, I recommend using wooden skewers or wooden spoon handles set along the length of the sweet potato to keep the knife from cutting all the way through the potato.
- Use a very sharp chef’s knife, the sharper your knife, the easier the task will be. Avoid using a small paring knife or serrated knife.
- Carefully transfer the cut sweet potatoes to the cast-iron skillet using a spatula. Depending on how deep the slices are, this will keep the potatoes from falling apart. But if they do fall apart, it’s no problem, just sandwich them back together, they’ll cook the same.
FAQs
I don’t have a cast iron skillet, can I use a baking sheet?
You can absolutely use a baking sheet instead. I would recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper (instead of the tablespoon of oil) and do not preheat the baking sheet like is called for with the cast-iron skillet.
Can I add some sweetness?
If you would like these to be sweet and salty, I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of pure maple syrup to the melted butter mixture.
Watch How to Make the Recipe
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”ySXI6ARl” upload-date=”2022-10-24T15:42:25.000Z” name=”Hasselback Sweet Potatoes” description=”sweet potatoes, side dish, thanksgiving, fall, hasselback, cast iron, sage” player-type=”static”]Savory Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Sage & Garlic
Description
Savory hasselback sweet potatoes featuring creamy, buttery insides, crispy skins, and loads of flavor from garlic and sage. These are simple, stunning and so dang satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 10–12 ounces each)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped sage*
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced, optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425ºF with rack set in middle position; place a large cast-iron skillet on middle rack while oven preheats.
- Wash and thoroughly dry potatoes.
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise then place cut side down on a cutting board. Working with one half at a time, arrange wood skewers or chopsticks along length of potato half. Cut ⅛-inch slices crosswise (top to bottom) nearly all the way through the potato (about 80% of the way through), stopping before you cut through the bottom (the wood skewers should act like bumpers and keep your knife from slicing all the way through).
- Carefully remove skillet from oven and drizzle 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Gently arrange sweet potato halves, cut side down, in a single layer; drizzle ½ teaspoon oil over each potato half and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Return skillet to oven and back sweet potatoes 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, and nutmeg. Cook until fragrant and bubbly, about 30 seconds. Off heat, stir in sage.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven and separate slices using a fork or knife. Fit a few slices of shallot between sweet potato slices (3 or 4 per potato); spoon butter mixture evenly over potatoes.
- Return skillet to oven and back potatoes 10 minutes more. Turn oven to broil and broil potatoes 2–4 minutes, until edges are crispy and charred.
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Notes
A 12-inch cast-iron skillet is ideal for this recipe. A 10-inch will work (it’s what I have) but you may need to trim some of the potato ends to get them to all fit in the pan.
* Thyme or rosemary would be great substitutions or additions to the sage.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/2 sweet potatoCalories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 11.5gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 592mgFiber: 4.5gSugar: 0.5g
Like this? Leave a comment below!I love hearing from you and I want to hear how it went with this recipe! Leave a comment and rating below, then share on social media @zestfulkitchen and #zestfulkitchen!
This recipe article was originally published on November 16, 2021.
I didn’t think I would like this but I actually prefer this over a really sweet baked potatoes
Hi Joyce, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these! I agree about the savoriness, I prefer these over sweet-sweet potatoes!
The tutorial for this was amazing. These came out absolutely perfect and my husband has already requested them again. Thank you!
I made this recipe today and it is the best sweet potatoes I have ever eaten. It’s beyond wonderful.
Hi Sue! I’m so happy to hear that!! I love how they just melt in your mouth.
Hi! The recipe says two potatoes, but the photos have four. Is 4 potatoes the actual serving size?
Hi Katy, the recipe calls for cutting the potatoes in half, lengthwise. So what you are seeing in the image are the four halves! Two sweet potatoes will make four servings as specified. I hope that helps!
Made this weekend and shared with a friend. She commented immediately on the presentation and after tasting, said “Amazing”. I too really liked the flavor palate. For slight sweetness, I sprinkled some dark brown sugar over potatoes while baking and then a small drizzle of maple syrup just before they hit the table. Thank you!
This sounds delicious. I’m thinking of making this for Thanksgiving but wonder if I can prepare this ahead of time, or at least partially, and complete it once the turkey comes out of the oven?
Hi Nancy, great question! Yes, I would follow the instructions through the 10 minutes of baking in step 8. Once the turkey comes out, I would add the potatoes back to the oven until they are warmed through (about 5 minutes), then broil as directed.
I hope you enjoy these!
Hi! I’m wondering if this is something you think would reheat well (I’m thinking of Thanksgiving…)
Hi Natalie! Yes, think they would work well reheated! I would follow the instructions through the 10 minutes of baking in step 8. When you’re ready to reheat, add the potatoes back to the oven until they are warmed through (about 5 minutes), then broil as directed.
I hope you enjoy these!
What if I don’t have cast iron? Could I do this in a glass casserole dish?
Hi Courtney, great question! You can definitely use a glass casserole dish, though the bottom of the potatoes won’t get as brown or crisp as they would in a cast-iron.
Let me know how it goes!