Lightly Loaded Purple Hasselback Potatoes

These Lightly Loaded Purple Hasselback Potatoes are a delicious appetizer perfect for any occasion, plus they are made with wholesome ingredients like fingerling potatoes that make this recipe packed with antioxidants, dietary fiber, and naturally gluten-free.

Nutrient-Rich Purple Potatoes

We were successful in growing our own red potatoes in The Millennial Garden for the first time this past year, but they certainly did not look as pretty as these ones.

These beautiful babies are Baby Medley Potatoes from Wegmans and I just love them because they are small, tender, and come in three beautiful colors.

Health Benefits of Purple Potatoes

I am always mesmerized by the fact that Mother Nature can create something as beautiful as purple potatoes. Their deep purple hue is not only attractive to the eye but is also a nutrient powerhouse.

That vibrant purple color is brought to you courtesy of all of the powerful antioxidants and phytonutrients contained in this pretty little package. Antioxidants and phytonutrients are powerful plant-based compounds that help to rid the body of free radicals.

While all potatoes contain the same carbohydrate content, regardless of their color, smaller potatoes do have a few benefits to larger potatoes.

Not only are they easier to cut and don’t require any peeling of the skin, they also have more surface area which helps to increase the dietary fiber content when consumed.

That will help to keep you full and regular, and also help to decrease your instance of developing colon cancer.

How to Make Hasselback Potatoes

While I have always seen these beautiful Hasselback potatoes in pretty Pinterest images, I only had a vague idea of how to make them.

After scrolling through Pinterest for some inspiration, I came across a tutorial from Kevin is Cooking which perfectly explains how to cut a slice off the bottom and then use a pair of chopsticks to keep you from cutting through the bottom.

I took it one step further and used Phil’s Grandmothers old school hard-boiled egg slicer to make perfect slices. Turn it upside down and it fits perfectly over these tiny potatoes to make perfect cuts.

Roasted Purple Potatoes

If you’re looking for a simple, yet stunning, dinner side dish, these babies are just as good with a little EVOO and seasoning, without the additional ingredients.

That means that these can be enjoyed by all, regardless of dietary restrictions. In their most simplistic form, these potatoes with olive oil and seasoning are vegan and vegetarian-friendly, naturally gluten-free, and deliciously packed with plant-based phytonutrients and antioxidants.

I love these when they are fresh out of the oven because the top is perfectly browned and crispy, like a delicious potato chip, while the inside is warm and fluffy like a perfect baked potato. If you have not tried the Hasselback version of any potato, I highly recommend this cooking method.

Lightly Loaded Purple Hasselback Potatoes

If you’re looking to make these the best appetizer you’ve ever served, I highly recommend adding a tiny sliver of bacon into some of those perfect slices before baking. While bacon will never be classified as a superfood or promoted for its health benefits, I think we can all agree that it tastes amazing. 

But there is such thing as too much of a good thing, which is why I think that bacon is best enjoyed in small amounts. This entire recipe only uses 4 slices of bacon, but you certainly don’t miss out on any taste or flavor.

I personally prefer to use uncured bacon when cooking. I prefer uncured bacon because it uses natural nitrates derived from celery and beets, as compared to traditional bacon which uses artificial nitrates. Uncured bacon is generally recognized as safer than its synthetic counterpart, as artificial nitrates have been linked to some occurrences of cancer.

In addition to using a small amount of uncured bacon, I also used a very small amount of cheese in this recipe. While traditional loaded potatoes are swimming in grease from the cheese and bacon, this recipe focuses on enjoying the flavor from a small amount of cheese.

It is then finished with dairy-free yogurt which helps to cut down on calories and fat, while providing fat and probiotics, all while never sacrificing flavor.

I always say when it comes to food, quality is always better than quantity.