Hi Vegetarian Carnivores! Potatoes are an important ingredient in any vegan chef’s arsenal. They are so versatile, and are virtually guaranteed to taste amazing. No matter how you make them: mashed, roasted, fried, sauteed. It is a surefire way to get some delicious flavor in. This recipe is really special to me because I decided to try something totally new to me and it turned out so amazing I had to write it up and share with you guys. So let’s get talking about my delicious vegan hasselback potatoes.
Potatoes
I think potatoes, unfortunately, get a pretty bad rap. With everyone on the latest low carb diet (whatever you want to call it), whole foods carbs are being demonized and it really is such a shame. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating potatoes! In fact, with their skin on, they are a good source of fiber, protein, potassium, and iron. And unless they are highly processed and stripped of their nutrients, we have nothing to fear with their complex carbs in tact.
I used a combination of purple and yellow otatoes to make this dish. Purple potatoes are not only beautiful, but that beautiful purple hue comes from the presence of an antioxidant group of polyphenols, known as anthocyanins. These compounds aid in good eye, cardiovascular, and heart health. They also help lower inflammation in the body, which is one of the key elements in preventing free radical damage.
See? Ain’t nothing wrong with indulging in some delicious potatoes 😉
The meat and cheese
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how nutrient packed it is. We are stuffing these potatoes with slices of sauteed extra firm tofu. And then we are using vegan cheese slices.
Cutting the potatoes
Here’s the learning curve: cutting the potatoes is a little harder than it looks. On the one hand you need a deep enough cut to allow room for the tofu and cheese slices. On the other hand you don’t want to cut all the way through and end up up sliced potatoes.
So how do we hit the sweet spot? We’re going to take two wooden spatulas, ladels, or even rolling pins and sandwich the potato in between them. Then holding the potato in place, start slicing until the knife reaches the handle of the spatula. Then start on the next slice mark. Depending on the size of each potato, you may need to adjust which spatulas you use to hold the vegetable together, depending on thickness of the handle. See the pic below for reference!
For example, for a really small potato, you don’t want a super thick wooden spatula handle. The knife will barely make an indentation on the vegetable, leaving no room for the yummy stuffing. So play around a little and find the tools that work best for your potatoes.
It truly is a super wholesome and surprisingly filling dish! Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 5-7 yellow and purple potatoes, sliced every 1/2 inch, according to instructions above
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 5 oz extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 4-5 slices vegan cheese
- 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- Vegan Mayo, to garnish
- Vegan Parmesan, to garnish
- Chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brush potatoes with oil to evenly coat and sprinkle salt.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the gap between slits on the potatoes has increased. This will make the next step much easier.
- While potatoes are baking, pan fry tofu slices until golden brown on each side. Add soy sauce to infuse with just a little bit of flavor. Toss evenly to coat.
- Alternate stuffing the potato with tofu slices and vegan cheese.
- Put back in oven at 375 for 10 minutes.
- Let cool and drizzle with vegan mayo, vegan Parmesan and sprinkle parsley on top.
- Enjoy!
Results
If I may say so myself, this dish turned out like a masterpiece! So beautiful and it tasted every bit as delicious as it looks! Definitely recommend you all to try this out for yourselves and fall in love.
And like always, please leave me a comment below so I know what you think!
See you soon!
Janani <3 <3
