Grilled Garlicky Hasselback Potatoes

I’ll admit, I first learned of hasselback potatoes from a Pinterest picture. While I rarely let Pinterest dictate my menu, I do like turning to it for ideas from time to time. I am accustomed to grilling vegetables but I have never grilled a potato whole and was so intrigued by the idea. Frankly, it never occurred to me to try it even though I am always popping potatoes into the oven to accompany meatloaf in the winter. The cool thing about this recipe is that not only it is a snap, but it a really stunner presentation-wise. It always draws a little extra attention because it is just so fun to look at.

While it may look complicated, assembling this is actually quite easy. It takes a bit of patience with a knife, slicing it into paper-thin layers, but then you just give it a good dose of oil, add the garlic, and get it ready to cook. Once it comes off the grill piping hot you can always shower it with some fresh Parmesan, extra salt, or even a sprinkle of chopped herbs. (I think a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with chives would taste amazing!) The sky is the limit!

Since this does take a while to cook be sure to time the rest of your meal accordingly. I find that I can usually prepare and grill chicken and toss together a quick salad in the time it makes to cook these entirely. Then everything can be eaten fresh at once, leaving plenty of time for catching fireflies before the sunset.