It’s the first official day of summer! Let’s celebrate with a dance around the maypole!
Brain’s Better Half: “Uh, M.? This isn’t King Arthur’s court. Perhaps these lords and ladies would prefer to celebrate with something a little more timely?”
M.: OK. How about a recipe for some spicy baby potatoes that are the perfect side dish for your next cookout and a GIVEAWAY?”
Brain’s Better Half: “Sounds great!”
I just love potatoes – I really do. And spicy potatoes are even better.
These baby potatoes caught my eye, well, because they’re cute. So I decided to Hasselback them, season them up and roast the heck out of them… just delish.
In case you aren’t familiar with Hasselback potatoes, they’re simply potatoes that are prepared by making a series of deep parallel slits along the top of the potato, but not all the way through, the idea being that they’ll cook more quickly and be more open (pardon the pun) to any seasoning and/or dressing you might want to apply.
Don’t be nervous about Hasselbacking small potatoes – it just requires a sharp knife and a little concentration. In other words, you probably shouldn’t be tweeting while you’re Hasselbacking your baby potatoes. Take it from me. I tried and ended up with a big Hasselback fail on my hands. We’re talking Hasselbacking and Hasselfronting. Best to leave the tweeting to after the potatoes are in the oven.
What I really love about these potatoes is that they’re perfectly sized for each bite to contain just the right amount of crunchy, spicy roasted potato skin AND soft, golden potato insides. It’s the golden potato ratio! Everyone will applaud and dance around the maypole in your honor when you serve them alongside burgers, summer chicken salad, grilled fish, or other delightful veggies.
And just to get you even more excited about these potatoes, I’m sharing with one lucky winner a collection of goodies from Melissa’s Produce!
That’s right, the lucky winner of this giveaway will score a prize package that includes the following:
- One (1) 6 oz. package of red quinoa;
- One (1) 6 oz. package of farro;
- One (1) 6 oz. package of freekeh (naturally roasted green wheat);
- One (1) 1.5 lb. bag of ruby gold potatoes;
- One (1) 8 oz. box of baby beets;
- One (1) 17.63 box of lentils;
- And one (1) gorgeous hardcover cookbook from Melissa’s that’s chock full of delicious ideas for cooking and baking with organic produce.
So what are you waiting for?
To enter to win this prize pack from Melissa’s Produce simply leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite type of produce is.
To earn extra entries to win you can follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and leave separate comments telling me that you’ve done so.
To earn even more entries you can Tweet or post on Facebook the following message and leave separate comments telling me that you’ve done so:
I just entered to win a Produce Lover’s prize pack from @MelissasProduce & @ScarlettaBakes! You can enter to win here: http://tinyurl.com/cc4o6kw
This giveaway closes at 12:00 a.m. PST, Thursday, June 28, 2012. One (1) winner will be randomly selected to win one (1) Melissa’s Produce prize pack as described above. The winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours from notification to claim their prize. Sorry, international friends: this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.
Good luck! Now go make some Baby Ancho Hasselback Potatoes and then take a twirl around the maypole!
UPDATE: This giveaway has ended and Lynna H. is the lucky winner! Thank you for all of your entries!
Baby Ancho Hasselback Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs. baby Dutch yellow potatoes
1 tbsp. ancho chile, ground
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt, finely ground
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. cumin, ground
2 tbsp. peanut oil (any light oil may be substituted)
shredded queso fresco to finish (Optional)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Prepare the potatoes Hasselback style by making a series of parallel slices along the top of the potato that do not go all the way through the potato. I have read tutorials on preparing baby Hasselback potatoes that suggest placing the potato in a tablespoon before you cut into it, thus preventing yourself from slicing all the way through. I did not find this technique to be necessary and, in fact, found it challenging to balance the spoon while simultaneously cutting through the potato. I recommend just holding the potato firmly and cutting carefully and slowly down into the potato.
Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl and toss with oil, ancho, salt, cumin and black pepper – don’t fret if some of the seasoning and oil settles at the bottom of the bowl. You just want each potato to be well-coated. You can also gently pull the potatoes apart at the cuts and spread a little of the leftover seasoned oil inside the potatoes.
Place the potatoes, cut-side up, on a nonstick baking pan and roast for 40 minutes. Finished potatoes will be crisp, darkened and fragrant. Remove, top with optional cheese garnish and serve immediately.
YIELD: approximately 4-6 servings