Spiced Bacon Hasselback Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 6 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold, Holland, Russet or fingerling), scrubbed well but unpeeled
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch wide pieces
• ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter 
• 1½ tbsp Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch, plus more for garnishing
• 2 spring onions/scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

METHOD

1. Lay the pieces of bacon on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Freeze them for 30 minutes. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. If you find it more convenient, you can stabilize the potato on a pair of chopsticks (spaced lengthwise on either side of the potato) so you don’t cut all the way through. Cut it crosswise thinly, slightly deep accordion style, with a sharp paring knife. Each cut should be ⅛ inch apart, about ¼ inch from the bottom so that they remain attached. 
3. When all the potatoes are cut, fan them open slightly. Add them to the boiling water and boil for 4 minutes. Carefully remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a baking dish or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pat the potatoes dry. On each potato, insert several pieces of frozen bacon into the cuts alternately, spacing them out. Let the bacon pieces stick out from the top of each potato.                
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Melt the butter and apply generously over the potatoes and inside the cuts/crevices. Reserve excess butter for basting. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the potatoes. 
5. Roast the potatoes for 2 hours until the outsides are browned and crisp. At the one hour mark, baste the potatoes with reserved butter. 
6. Ten minutes before the potatoes are done, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and mix with spring onions, parsley, garlic and Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch. Stir to incorporate then spoon the gravy over the potatoes and roast for another 5 minutes. Transfer them to a platter and season with more salt and pepper as you like. 

NOTES

Just some tips from us before you whip this up in the kitchen. Choose medium sized potatoes with an oblong shape as they’ll fan out nicely when you roast them. Give the potatoes an extra long roast in the oven until the insides turn creamy and the outsides become golden crispy and crunchy. Baste them generously twice with melted butter, the first time before they go into the oven and the second time, midway roasting at 30 mins, when the slices fan opened and have become slightly more pliable. And as an alternative, you could swap regular white potatoes with orange sweet potatoes for a sweeter, earthier flavor. Follow these steps, and you’ll have your guests coming back for seconds!