Fanned Potatoes with Hungarian Paprika and Sour Cream
Serves 6.
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
½ teaspoon Hungarian smoked paprika
3 green onions, white and green, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 red or white potatoes, each a little larger than a tennis ball, scrubbed and dried
¾ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
Place the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the butter until it begins to foam and then the foam subsides. Continue to cook until the white solids or milk solids turn to a rich golden brown, and the butter starts to smoke. Remove from the heat immediately and add the paprikas, green onions, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir together.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Working with one potato at a time, place it in the well of a wooden spoon. Starting at one end of the potato and working toward the other end, make a series of crosswise vertical cuts about ¼-inch apart, taking care not to cut through the potato completely. The wooden spoon should help with this. The knife will hit the sides of the spoon's indentation before it can go all the way through the potato.
Place the potatoes on a small baking sheet. Using a small spoon, separate the potato layers gently and spoon some of the paprika and green onion butter between the potato slices. Season the top of the potato with salt. Bake the potatoes until the tops are crispy, and the potatoes are cooked through. This will take about 45 to 60 minutes, depending upon the size of the potato.
Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.
