Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potatoes

Name: Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potatoes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 4 Potatoes ((Yukon Gold or Russet; about 10 oz each)); 3 tbsp Cooking Oil; 1 tsp Salt; 4 Tbsp Butter; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped; 4 oz thinly-sliced Cured Ham, cut into 2” square pieces; 5 oz Havarti Cheese, grated ((sub gruyere, white cheddar, or provolone))

By Jess Smith

4.67

Published Sep 11, 2019•Updated Mar 15, 2022

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Few side dishes can compete with a show-stopping Hasselback potato. Crispy edges and tender, centers make these as delicious as they are beautiful. For a version that outshines all others, fill them with herb-garlic butter, melted cheese, and thin slices of rich ham. It’s easier than you might think!

I used to ooh-and-ah over photos of Hasselback potatoes on Pinterest long before I attempted to make one. These potatoes look so elegant and complicated, but they’re actually not that hard to make. This is one of those dishes that, once you’ve made it once, you’ll want to make it again and again. And filling the potatoes with delicious toppings makes this an easy meal and a fun twist on baked potato night.

Ingredients for Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potatoes

Potatoes – Any type of baking potato will work, but Russet potatoes hold their shape well and get tender on the inside and golden brown on the outside. Yukon gold are another great choice. The recipe was tested with potatoes that were all about 10 oz and had a similar shape and size. Adjust the cook time if using larger or smaller potatoes.
Cooking Oil and Salt – Before roasting the potatoes, rub them with a generous amount of cooking oil and season with salt. This will give the outside of the potato lots of flavor and make keep it tender while baking.
Butter, Garlic, Chopped Parsley – This is the trifecta that forms the garlic butter drizzle used to finish these Hasselback potatoes. Curly or flat leaf parsley will work just fine.
Thinly Sliced Cured Ham – The ham I used comes thinly sliced, so all I had to do was tear it into pieces to add a rich flavor to the dish. You could slice the ham into even pieces for a more consistent look, but tearing the pieces as you add them to the dish gives it a rustic look and all of the edges sticking out of the potatoes get crisp and golden in the oven.

Cheese – The sky is the limit here and just about any type of cheese would be great. Havarti is creamy and melts really well. Gruyere, white cheddar, or provolone would also be delicious. I grate the cheese and just add it to the spaces between the potato slices – no need to be super precise.

What are Hasselback Potatoes?

Hasselback potatoes are potatoes that are cut nearly all the way through into thin slices, leaving the bottom of the potato intact to hold the slices together. The potatoes are then roasted until tender. They can be served plain or the slices can be loaded with fillings in the last few minutes of cooking.

How to Slice Potatoes Hasselback-Style

Even though Hasselback-style potatoes look complicated, it just takes a few easy steps to make them.

Wash and scrub potatoes clean.
Working with one potato at a time place it on a cutting board with the longer ends running left to right.
Place evenly sized chopsticks or wooden spoons on the longer sides of the potato. These will act as guides to prevent your knife from slicing all the way through the potato. (These may get small slices in them from the knife, so don’t use anything that you’re worried about getting nicked.)
Use a knife to cut slices into the potato about 1/3” / .8 cm thick. Don’t worry too much abou the exact thickness of the slices. It is more important that the slices are even. (The chopsticks / wooden spoons should work to insure that the bottom of the potato doesn’t get sliced through, and holds everything together.)

That’s it! Now you’re ready to bake the potatoes.

How to Bake Hasselback Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper (this is not necessary but will help with clean-up).
Set potatoes (be sure they have been sliced Hasselback-style – see step-by-step instructions above) on the prepared sheet pan.
Rub potatoes generously with cooking oil and season with salt.
Bake until potatoes are golden on the inside and tender in the middle, 60 to 70 minutes (will vary depending on size). As the potatoes near the end of the cooking time, the slits you cut into them will start to stretch, leaving plenty of space in between them.
Make the garlic butter by combining butter, garlic and parsley. Warm it in the microwave for about 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds.
Pour garlic butter over potatoes, making sure to drizzle garlic butter in the spaces between all of the potato slices.
Fill the slits of the potatoes with ham and cheese. There’s no need to be exact about this – just tear the ham into small pieces as you work. (Be careful! The potatoes are still hot.) (Note: At this point you can set the potatoes aside for a couple hours if you’d like. Just slide them in the oven when you’re ready to finish them.)
Return the potatoes to the oven and continue baking until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Serve potatoes immediately. Add a salad on the side and you’ve got a complete meal!

Other Favorite Potato Recipes

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes – No need to make a big mess right before you serve mashed potatoes. This make-ahead version is light, fluffy, and can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes with Gruyere and Kale – This elegant topping of cheesy roasted potatoes hides a fresh layer of creamy, tender kale.
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
Oven-Roasted Ranch Potato Wedges
Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup

Favorite Tools

Pin this now to save it for later

Pin It Now

Ham and Cheese Hasselback Potato on a white plate

4.67 from 3 votes