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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

As a kid, I loved spicy, super-garlicy sausages.  So did all of my family.  Then, I married a guy who did not really care for sausages. Sometimes I crave for it but all the beef sausages I find are stuffed in natural hog casing.  So from time to time I'd make my own beef sausages, stuff them in sheep casing (!!!) or I just wrap them in plastic then freeze them to keep their shape when cooking. They never were quite as good as the ones I had as a child. My son never liked beef sausages specially my homemade version.

One day, FoodBuzz Tastemakers Program sent me a Party Planner Gift Box to try out.  It was a Home for the Holiday Gift Box from Hickory Farms.  It had beef summer sausages, cheeses, honey pineapple mustard and cracked wheat crackers.  Hickory Farms has been making gourmet beef sausages and cheeses since 1951 and this time of the year they offer gift boxes at very reasonable prices.  Right now they are 50% off. 
My failed experiments in making beef sausages must have given these sausages a bad rap with my son.  He did not even want to try them!
 
Last night, he had friends over and they wanted baked potatoes but I did not have sour cream, green onions and cheese.  Instead of heading to the store, I made a garlic herb butter and hasselback potatoes with slices of beef sausage in between.  Guess what?  It was a big hit with the boys!  Better than baked potatoes is what I heard. Even my son said the beef sausage was crazy delicious! 

Jazzed up Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter

2 lbs baking potatoes
2 sticks of salted butter, softened at room temperature
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced 
lots of finely minced parsley
3 mm round slices of Hickory Farms beef sausage, cut in half

To prepare the garlic herb butter, mix softened salted butter, fresh minced garlic and parsely in a small bowl. Stir well until garlic and parsely is well distributed.  Take plastic wrap and shape the garlic herb butter into a log.  Place in the freezer to solidify. If you are on a low salt diet, go ahead and use unsalted butter.

Scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush and rinse well to remove any adhering soil particles.  Do not peel the potatoes. Boil the potatoes and when they are almost completely cooked, drain the water and lay them on their flat side.  Start from one end of the potato, cut across almost all the way through, at 2-3 mm intervals. The potatoes should now look like an open accordion.

Insert slices of garlic herb butter and/ or half discs of beef sausage into the cuts. Place potatoes on a baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy outside.  The inside will be soft and buttery.  When serving up, top with more garlic herb butter.

13 comments:

chow and chatter said...

wow these potatoes are super jazzed up love them

happy new year

Rebecca

Joanne said...

Those potatoes are super gorgeous! Love the presentation!

Anonymous said...

Hasselback potatoes are always so pretty and what a great idea to put the pieces of sausages in, wonderful!

Ivy said...

What a beautiful presentation. Those potatoes sound delicious.

Karen said...

Those look delicious! Love the garlic butter. Yum. Have a wonderful New Year!

Carolyn Jung said...

Those are some fancy spuds, indeed! And what a flashback -- I remember when Hickory Farms had stores in the malls. I used to go in with my Dad. He'd always buy the summer sausages and a cheese log. ;)

Mary Bergfeld said...

This really is a great idea. I really like hasselback potatoes and love to serve them with company meals. I hope you've had a wonderful holiday and that the new year brings you all measure of good things. Blessings...Mary

Juliana said...

Happy New Year! The potatoes look wonderful, and like you love it with lots and lots of garlic...great pictures :-)

Devaki said...

I don't think I have EVER seen taters done up this way. Incredibly clever and delicious!

Happy New Year to you!

chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

Kim - Liv Life said...

My husband has had a love affair with Hickory Farms since he was a kid! What a wonderful idea to use it in the potatoes, why didn't I ever think of that!!

Mimi said...

Happy New Year.
Inspired recipe for sure. My kids don't really like the beef sausages either, but the do love potatoes, so this sounds perfect.
Mimi

Barbara said...

Jazzed up for sure! These look fabulous and I can't wait to serve them to my family...they're gonna love them.

bunkycooks said...

I love making these potatoes and yours with the sausage are over the top!