Caprese Hasselback Potatoes

There's nothing better than a baked potato stuffed with fresh tomato and mozzarella slices. It's a mashup of insalata caprese and hasselback potatoes.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 667 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, or to taste
• 4 large long russet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
• 4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) container small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Grana Padano cheese
• 0.25 cup fresh basil leaves, or to taste
• 0.33333334326744 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
• 0.75 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 2

Set potatoes on a cutting board. Starting from one end, cut slices that are roughly 1/4-inch thick into each potato, stopping about 1/2-inch from the bottom to keep potato slices connected. Transfer prepared potatoes to a baking sheet.

Step 3

Stir together olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush olive oil mixture onto the potatoes using a basting brush, making sure to coat the outer sides and in between the slices. Season liberally with sea salt. Set aside remaining oil mixture.

Step 4

Bake potatoes in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush once again with remaining oil. By now the potatoes will have opened a bit, allowing for more oil to slip between the slices. Sprinkle a little more sea salt onto each potato, making sure to sprinkle salt in the slices.

Step 5

Return to the oven and bake until potatoes are cooked through, 25 to 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Leave oven on.

Step 6

Leave a few potato slices unstuffed on both ends of each potato, starting somewhere about 1/4 of the way through the potato. Start by slipping a tomato slice in between your first 2 slices of potato, skip 2 slices, and stuff the next slice with mozzarella cheese and a fresh basil leaf. Skip 2 more, add a tomato slice, and continue alternating tomato and mozzarella cheese/basil leaf until you reach the other end of the potato. Continue until all potatoes have been stuffed. Season each potato with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Step 7

Return potatoes to the oven and bake until mozzarella has melted, about 5 minutes.

Step 8

Drizzle with balsamic glaze, sprinkle with grated Grana Padano cheese, and garnish with fresh basil.