Bacon Cheeseburger Hasselback Potatoes — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Bacon Cheeseburger Hasselback Potatoes

Okay, we are genuinely obsessed with these right now. Hasselback potatoes are already brilliant on their own, but load them up with smoky vegan bacon, melty cheese sauce, and crispy tofu and suddenly you've got a proper showstopper dinner that feels way more impressive than it actually is to make. Every slice fans out and soaks up all those smoky, savoury flavours, so you get crispy edges and a fluffy middle in every single bite. It's the kind of thing you put on the table and everyone goes quiet for a second before diving in. Make these tonight, trust us.

Cook: 50 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Tofu press
  • Deep ovenproof frying pan
  • Blender
  • Wooden spoons (2, for hasselback guide)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Spatula
  • Kitchen towels
  • Tin foil
  • Press tofu for minimum 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked salt - (or normal salt)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup - plus more for glazing
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 x 450g block of firm smoked tofu
  • 25g cornflour
  • 1 tbsp red wine
  • 4 large potatoes
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 200g plant-based cheese
  • tbsp plant-based butter for brushing
  • 3 plant-based butter
  • 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes
  • 60g almonds sliced
  • 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp ground mustard
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • side salad
  • chives garnish

Method

1

Prepare the ingredients

  • Press the tofu in a tofu press for a minimum of 30 mins so it's well firmed up and any excess water has been removed
  • Meanwhile, place one of the potatoes on a chopping board and lay a wooden spoon on either side (these will provide a stopping point for the knife and make sure you don't cut right through the potatoes)
  • Take a sharp knife and carefully cut very thin slices all the way along the potato, stopping when the knife hits the spoon handles
  • Repeat until the potatoes have been cut all the way down
2

Cook the potatoes

  • Put the prepared potatoes in a deep ovenproof frying pan
  • Place a knob of plant-based butter on top of each of the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • Put the frying pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes
3

Meanwhile, make the bacon

  • Cut the tofu into thin slices, around 1cm wide and 3mm thick
  • Pour the cornflour, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt into the mixing bowl and stir them together with a fork
  • Roll the slices of tofu in the dry mix and put the slices on a plate
  • Drizzle the maple syrup and soy sauce over the prepared tofu slices and set the plate to one side
  • Heat 3 tbsp dairy free butter in the frying pan over medium-high heat until hot
  • Lay the slices of tofu in the butter, then quickly add 1 tablespoon of red wine and ½ a tablespoon of maple syrup 
  • Toss the tofu in the liquid and fry until the liquid has evaporated and the tofu is well covered
  • Sprinkle a good helping of salt over the tofu and use a spatula to carefully turn the tofu slices over and sprinkle more salt on the other side
  • Fry until both sides are nice and browned
  • You may need to rinse the pan out before starting the second batch, in case there is any maple syrup left that starts to burn
  • Put the bacon on kitchen towels to soak up any excess grease and cool down
4

Time to add cheese

  • Take the potatoes out of the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes
  • Cut the dairy free cheese into thin slices
  • Carefully push the slices of bacon and cheese into the slits cut into the potatoes
  • Put a sheet of tin foil over the top of the pan and put the pan back in the oven for a further minutes
5

To finish it off

  • To make the ranch sauce, place the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth, and the oil has started to emulsify and become creamy
  • Pour the liquid into a pan on a stove and warm for a couple of minutes, until it thickens to a creamy consistency
  • Take the potatoes out of the oven, remove the tin foil, plate up the potatoes, sprinkle with chives and serve immediately with a side salad

Tips & Variations

  • Press the tofu well: We know 30 minutes feels like a long time but it genuinely makes a huge difference. The firmer the tofu, the better the texture. Pop it in the press before you do anything else and get on with prepping the potatoes while you wait.
  • Use a wooden spoon as a guide: Lay a wooden spoon along each side of the potato before you start slicing. It sounds a bit fussy but it stops the knife going all the way through, which is exactly what you want. Henry learned this the hard way.
  • Make it your own: If you want to go extra cheesy, spoon a little more sauce between the slices before baking. You will not regret it.

Why This Works

The trick is pressing the tofu properly before anything else. Get rid of that excess water and it firms up beautifully, which means it crisps up instead of going soggy and actually holds its own against all the bold smoky flavours going on. The hasselback cuts are key too because all those thin slices create loads of surface area for the seasoning and toppings to get in and do their thing, so you're not just eating a plain baked potato with stuff on top.