Greek Sausage And Hasselback Feta Potatoes Recipe
If you have a little extra time and want to fancy up your baked potatoes, you can always try the Hasselback method where the potatoes are cut to resemble what recipe developer Kara Barrett refers to as an "accordion" shape. These sliced potatoes, she feels, "elevate the meal a little, making it feel gourmet." The potatoes in this recipe are also flavored with Mediterranean-style ingredients including oregano, feta cheese, and lemon juice, with this last-named ingredient being, as Barrett claims, "a nod to Greek lemon sauces."
This one-pan meal also calls for sausages, although it may not be too easy to find loukaniko, Greek links that are typically made from pork and include flavorings such as lemon, oregano, and garlic. While Barrett does recommend using loukaniko, she does say that other types of sausages can be used in its place if it's not available where you shop and you'd rather not spend big bucks ordering it online. Italian would work well as a substitute, as would sausages made of lamb.
Gather the ingredients for the Greek sausage and Hasselback feta potatoes
For the sausage part of this recipe, you will need some pork or lamb sausage links. Barrett also likes to use small, yellow or red potatoes and seasons them with olive oil, salt, oregano, and parsley along with lemon juice and zest. The potatoes are then stuffed with feta cheese and topped off with sun-dried tomatoes
Hasselback the potatoes
Barrett calls this recipe "a fun way to introduce cooks to the Hasselback or accordion method." If you've never Hassellbacked a potato before, it's not too much of a hassle, although doing so may be somewhat time-consuming in this recipe since the potatoes are smaller and more numerous than in a Hasselback potato recipe calling for larger ones. Before you start slicing, better preheat the oven to 400 F.
Basically, the Hasselback technique consists of cutting numerous slits through each potato, but not all the way to the bottom. One way to achieve this is if you have a pair of chopsticks or similarly-sized utensils. Place them on either side of the potato and use them as a cutting guide: Hit the top of the chopstick; stop cutting. As for the slits, these can be about ¼-inch apart or so in order that each potato can have a fair number of them.
Season and stuff the potatoes
Combine the oil with the lemon zest and juice, oregano, parsley, and salt. Rub this mixture over the potatoes, then divide the feta crumbles in half. Use one of the portions of cheese to stuff between each potato slice
Bake the potatoes with the sausage
Bake the potatoes and the sausage for 40 minutes, but turn the latter over after about 20 minutes so they can brown on both sides. When the potatoes come out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining feta and the tomatoes over the top as a garnish. You can also add some additional salt or lemon juice or possibly even some fresh basil or parsley if you'd like a bit of greenery.
Barrett suggests that the sausages and potatoes are best eaten when still warm from the oven. If you don't finish the lot in a single sitting, though, she does say you can refrigerate the leftovers for up to 4 days.
- 1 pound new potatoes (red, gold, or a blend)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbles, divided
- 4 Greek, Italian, or lamb sausages
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Fresh basil, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Make slits in the potatoes almost, but not all the way, to the bottom to make the distinctive Hasselback shape. Place chopsticks underneath the potato to keep from slicing all the way, then simple cut a few slits across the potato.
- Mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, zest, salt, parsley, and oregano.
- Brush the oil mixture over the potatoes.
- Stuff the potato slits with half of the feta cheese.
- Bake the potatoes and sausages for 40 minutes, turning the sausages halfway through the cooking time.
- Top the potatoes with the sun-dried tomatoes and reserved feta, adding additional salt and/or lemon juice if desired.
- Garnish the potatoes with fresh basil or parsley if desired, then serve.
| Calories per Serving | 636 |
| Total Fat | 45.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 127.4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.2 g |
| Sodium | 709.6 mg |
| Protein | 30.5 g |
