Spicy Hasselback Potatoes

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 -6 medium potatoes
• 4 -6 teaspoons butter or 4 -6 teaspoons margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Recipe

• 1 the oven temperature will depend on what else you are cooking at the time (e. g. a roast).
• 2 anything between a moderate and high heat will be fine for these potatoes.
• 3 grease a baking tin or tray.
• 4 wash potatoes well but do not peel.
• 5 cut a thin slice from the base of each potato so that they will sit flat on a cutting board.
• 6 place a potato on the cutting board and lay a wooden spoon alongside the length of it.
• 7 this stops you from cutting right through to the bottom of the potato.
• 8 now, using a sharp knife, held at right angles to the wooden spoon, thinly slice the potato but do not cut all the way to the bottom.
• 9 (think of the way garlic bread is sliced- that's the effect you're looking for.) repeat until all potatoes are sliced in this way.
• 10 place potatoes into the baking tin.
• 11 now, using a pastry brush, brush butter or margarine over the top of each potato and use the brush (and your fingers) to carefully push some of the butter down between the slices.
• 12 reserve some butter or margarine to baste during cooking.
• 13 bake for around 45 minutes at 180°-220°c (350°- 425°f) before adding spice mixture.
• 14 while the potatoes are cooking, combine the ingredients for the spice topping in a small bowl and mix well.
• 15 after 45 minutes, brush the reserved melted butter or margarine over the potatoes then sprinkle the potatoes with the spice mixture.
• 16 return potatoes to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes or until brown and crispy.
• 17 (if the potatoes are not browning nicely after the first 45 minutes, simply increase the heat for the last 15- 20 minutes of cooking. if you are cooking a roast, you can time it so that you remove the meat to rest for 15-20 minutes before the potatoes are done).