Thank you, Sweden. You gave us ABBA, Ace of Base and, of course IKEA. My wife really appreciates your latest contribution to the acting world — Alexander Skarsgård, though I’m more partial to the tennis exploits of Björn Borg.

Your success in the culinary world, however, is about on par with our friends in England … or Armenia.

You gave us smörgåsbord, which is a cool word, but difficult to type on an English-language computer. (That’s probably why we call it a buffet in these parts.) You also gave us your version of meatballs, which aren’t bad, but hardly compare with the ones served on Sundays at Italian-American tables. Sure, you Swedes can lay claim to some nifty salmon recipes, but your culinary opus was concocted at the Hasselbacken Restaurant in Stockholm.

Not Hasselhoff! Hasselback
Admittedly, every time I see a recipe or article about Hasselback Potatoes, my thoughts drift to Germany and the living deity there — David Hasselhoff. We Americans knew him as Michael Knight on Knight Rider, or Mitch Buchannon on Baywatch. In Germany, his singing ranks him up there with The Beatles, Elvis and Jesus Christ (combined). No, I don’t get it either. But, I digress.

The word Hasselback, in culinary terms these days, has pretty much become an adjective. Simply, Hasselback potatoes are potatoes that have been thinly sliced so that the cooked version resembles a fan or accordion. The original version created at the Hasselbacken Restaurant about 70 years ago is very basic: A baking potato with butter, salt and pepper; topped with bread crumbs. Nowadays, you’ll see them topped with everything from cheese and herbs to nuts and compound butters.

The following recipe employs the Hasselback technique with sweet potatoes, with a little autumn flair. Make sure you select sweet potatoes that will lay flat in the pan, and that are similar in size and shape.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes w/ Pecans & Cinnamon Butter

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes w/ Pecans & Cinnamon Butter

4 – Sweet potatoes, washed
1/2 cup (1 stick) – Butter, room temperature
2 tsp – Ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup – Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine butter and Cinnamon with a whisk or spoon; set aside.

Place two wooden spoons (preferable) or chopsticks, on both sides of potato; slice 1/4-to-1/8 inch thick slices, using spoon/chopsticks as stopping point (you don’t want to slice all the way through). Repeat with other potatoes.

Place sliced potatoes in baking dish; cover with aluminum foil; and bake for about 45-50 minutes.

Potatoes should be almost done (tender) at this point – feel free to test. If not tender, bake for another 10 minutes, or so. Fan potatoes out as much as possible without breaking them. Smear a fourth of the butter mixture atop each potato; then sprinkle with pecans. Place back in oven, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes. The potatoes should come out crispy … the pecans nicely roasted in the Cinnamon butter.

Makes 4 Hasselback Sweet Potatoes w/ Pecans & Cinnamon Butter.

Optional — Place about 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows between fanned slices when you add butter and pecans.

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Read the original on: The Unorthodox Epicure