Baked Garlic Hasselback Potato

Better than Fries!!

Potatoes are often thought of as a comfort food — richly mashed with butter and sour cream or crisply fried in vegetable oil. But when prepared in these ways, they can lead to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease.

However, when prepared the right way — cheese or sour cream, for example — these vegetables are somewhat nutritious. Potatoes are low calorie, with a medium-sized baked potato containing only about 110 calories. They are a good source of vitamins C and B6, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and pantothenic acid.

The vitamin C in potatoes acts as an antioxidant. These substances may prevent or delay some types of cell damage, according to the National Institutes of Health. They may also help with digestion, heart health, blood pressure and even cancer prevention.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized potatoes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsps. olive oil
• 20 g butter
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Direction:

• Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F).
• Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.
• Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray. Scatter some butter on top of each potato then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.