Hasselback Potatoes

adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 small-medium baking potatoes, about 3/4 pounds total

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/3 cup chicken stock (Add additional as needed.)

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Peel the potatoes. You may wish to cut a small slice off of the bottom so that the potato lays flat and doesn't roll. Place two long handled wooden chopsticks on each side of the potato lengthwise. Use a sharp knife and slice each potato crosswise, making 1/4-inch apart slices, cutting down vertically. The chopsticks will prevent the knife from cutting entirely through the potato. You need to leave 1/4-inch of the bottom of the potato intact.

As you finish cutting each potato, drop them into cold water to prevent discoloring. Gently flex the potato fans open while rinsing under cold running water. This rids the potatoes of excess starch that can impede fanning. Dry potatoes well before baking.

Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place them in a small baking pan. Pour the chicken stock around the potatoes and sprinkle them with the thyme leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the potatoes are half cooked, about 25-30 minutes, baste every 10 minutes with the butter-stock mixture.

In a small bowl combine the grated cheese and bread crumbs and divide the mixture evenly between the tops of the two potatoes. Continue roasting without any further basting until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Times may vary based upon the size of the potatoes!