Bloomin’ Baked Potato: a delicious and fancy twist to Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback potatoes are incredibly simple to prepare, yet provide a show-stopping presentation that fools guests into thinking you slaved away in the kitchen. They are typically sliced horizontally — you can use a pair of chopsticks to balance the potato and make sure you don't accidentally cut them all the way through, per Food & Wine's brilliant tip — to create a fan-like effect. From there, you can insert your favorite cheese, bacon bits, herbs, spices, or whatever your heart desires between each segment.

This variation, though a little more time-consuming yields an equally stunning dish. To make The Gunny Sack's "Bloomin' Baked Potatoes," the slicing technique is a little different. Rather than slice horizontally, you take a bit off the top, then CAREFULLY cut concentric circles in the middle without going all the way to the skin.

Them you simply flip it over and slice in the pattern shown above. You want to be sure to avoid the center portion, as it will fall apart.

If done correctly, it should look something like this. All that's left to do is brush it with some olive oil, season it to your liking, and pop it in the oven. You can find the full tutorial here. 

This version is stuffed with bacon and cheese, but feel free to do whatever strikes your fancy.

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