Thinly sliced potatoes make classic dinner presentation

I've always liked the impressive appearance of Hasselback potatoes. You know, those potatoes roasted into flawless fans still attached at the bottom. But given my knife skills are about a B-plus, I've rarely been able to produce an entire pan of perfect potatoes — until now.

Check out this suggestion from website the Kitchn: Rest your potato in a large serving spoon as a guide (or, in my case, a guard) when slicing to leave the potato attached at the bottom. I was dubious, but had a basket full of red potatoes that were nearing their end, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The tip worked beautifully, and I just had to share it!

As I've practiced over the last couple weeks, I've found red potatoes work best. You can top the potatoes with just about anything in the last 10 minutes of baking — Parmesan, bread crumbs, cheddar, crumbled bacon, sour cream, chopped herbs, Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper ... Give it a try and let me know what you think at alicia@kitchenscoop.com. Now you can produce perfectly sliced potatoes and wow your dinner guests with this classic presentation. Enjoy!

• Alicia Ross can be contacted at www.kitchenscoop.com.

Hasselback Red Potatoes

6 medium red potatoes

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Select a pan large enough to hold your potatoes so they won't be crowded.

Place a potato in a large serving spoon and carefully secure it by holding the ends. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice the potato into 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick slices through the top and stopping when the knife reaches the spoon. The idea is to create thin slices across the top, cutting through most of the potato, but leaving the bottom attached. Repeat with each potato.

Melt the butter and use it to brush the outside of each potato; place potatoes in the dish. Brush the tops with additional butter. Set leftover butter aside. Bake for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove the pan and brush the tops of the potatoes with more butter, allowing it to drip down into the slices. (Use a thin sharp knife to separate additional slices, if necessary.) Add salt and pepper to the potatoes; bake for 30 more minutes or until potatoes are tender in the center. Brush any remaining butter over the tops of the potatoes and serve.

Start to finish: 90 minutes, mostly unattended baking time

Yield: 6 servings, easily doubled

Approximate values per serving (without salt): 251 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 31 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, 95 mg sodium.