CRAZY, CRISPY Accordion Potatoes!

Accordion potatoes went viral on TikTok and this is my version that guarantees the most delicious waffle cut accordion potato chips that are baked in the oven (not deep fried!). With a garlic, herb and parmesan flavour these ingeniously cut accordion potatoes are fun to make and eat! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!

Confession: I have gone through a lot of potatoes to arrive at this accordion potato recipe Dear Reader. Fortunately I love potatoes so even the not so amazing ones were good. These delicious accordion potatoes are like a cousin of the hasselback potato with cuts made into them to increase the crispiness.

A couple of months ago these went crazy on Tik Tok and I'm not sure who started it. Laura sent them to me and I've been busy testing these over the past couple of months to arrive at the best accordion potato recipe!

To make accordion potatoes you only need some skewers and a sharp knife to get that signature accordion cut. I also share more tips on getting your accordion potatoes super crunchy.

Tips For Making Accordion Potatoes

If you want crispy, crunchy accordion potatoes first time then follow these tips:

1 - Use a waxy potato like Dutch Creams or Yukon Gold (starchy potatoes are better for mash). Both these varieties are good all rounder potatoes.

2 - Large, long potatoes are the best shape. You will only use the centre of the potatoes, not the rounded sides (bake and fill the rounded ends with your favourite baked potato filling).

3 - Cut the potatoes no more than 1cm/0.4inch thick (thicker is easier but doesn't crisp up as well). Make sure your chopping board sits securely on your bench (place a flat damp cloth underneath it to steady it).

4 - Use skewers (not chopsticks!) to make the cuts. First you will do tiny vertical cuts, then you will flip the potato slice over and cut it diagonally.

5 - To make these accordion potatoes as crispy as possible, you will need to wash the starch off these several times. Soaking them in hot water washes the starch off and also prevents the potatoes from browning. This is a CRUCIAL step for crunchy potatoes.

6 - To ensure that the skewer goes through the potato, you will let them sit in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften them a little (which also removes more of the starch).

7 - Placing the potato slice on the skewer is the hardest part and I accidentally hurt my hand doing it once. Place a thick cloth over the sliced potato and then insert the skewer in.

8 - The seasoning is a simple but utterly delicious browned butter, garlic powder and parsley butter. Don't forget the salt at the end - potatoes love salt!

9 - To make these super crispy (like so crunchy that you can hear every bite) add a final dusting of grated parmesan in the last 5 minutes of baking.

10 - These accordion potatoes are AMAZING dipped in ranch sauce or with your favourite dip.

The reason why I tested them over such a long period was because I did accidentally stab my hand with the skewer and that was very painful. But once the pain went away over the next week I couldn't help but try these again. There's something about these accordion potatoes that is so moreish, that you want to keep making them all the time because you want to keep eating them. I'll just be more careful from now on not to hurt my hand.

I got into some other strife of a different kind recently. We were at a restaurant with friends and I went to the bathroom. It was at a place where the doors were a bit water damaged so the doors didn't quite close properly. There was only one door and I couldn't close it properly to lock it.

Scared of having someone walk in mid-pee I shut the door as best I could and did my business quickly. But of course I forgot about the other thing - you know OPENING the door. I tried to pull as best I could but the door was delicate and I felt like I might break it. So with great reluctance I called Mr NQN.

I like to be independent as possible. Not only that but he would laugh at me for getting stuck in the toilet and probably tell everyone at the table. It rang and then rang and rang. He usually has his phone on silent so I wasn't surprised.

I waited another few minutes before deciding that I'd have to call the restaurant. Now this was getting embarrassing.

Thankfully just as I was about to hit the call button Mr NQN called me back. He sighed and then said he'd be there in a second. He came to the door, pushed it in with his shoulder and looked at me a smirk on his lips and went back to the table without a word. Followed by his wife who was trying to explain how she got caught in a toilet-again!

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried accordion potatoes? Have you ever been stuck in a toilet? What did you do?

Accordion Potatoes

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes soaking time

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2 (or 1, I ate them all!)

• 6 large, long potatoes (Dutch cream, Yukon Gold)
• 1/3 cup/75g/2.6ozs. browned butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 40g/1.4ozs. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• Salt to season

Step 1 - Peel the potatoes. Slice them into 1cm/0.4inch slices. You will not be using the round edge potato slices, only the centre ones that are flat all over (the accordion cutting won't work for the rounded over slices).

Step 2 - Put a kettle of water onto boil and place half in a large bowl. Take a potato slice and place it between two skewers. Cut vertically and then turn the potato over and then cut diagonally. Place into the hot water while you do the rest of the potatoes. The potatoes should rest in the hot water for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3 - Drain the potatoes and then wash the starches away under water. Then have another bowl ready with more hot water from the kettle (reboil it to keep it hot). Cover a potato slice with a thick cloth to protect your hand (left hand if you are right handed). Slide the skewer into the potato with your right hand while holding down the slice with your left hand. Gently fan the potato out along the skewer starting at the bottom. Place in the hot water again for another 10 minutes or so.

Step 4 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F and line a baking tray with parchment. Drain and pat dry the potatoes on the skewers. Mix the butter, oil and garlic powder together. Brush over the potatoes on both sides and bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes until crisp. Sprinkle with salt and chopped parsley and serve with ranch dressing or your favourite dip.