you're making mealtime meaningful.
A chef or home cook will always find inspiration from new culinary experiences. A recipe shared, a cooking show watched, or a happy accident kind of recipe that comes from putting together the right ingredients at the right time. I made this recipe for a meal prep client based on her request. I took this experience home and was inspired to play with my food, so I landed on this iteration of Cheesy Potato Stacks.
Think au gratin or even fondant potatoes, if you’re familiar with the trend. A pretty potato is quite popular these days! Thinly sliced potatoes are stacked with cheese and topped with savory, rich cream, then baked slowly until they emerge from the oven in aesthetically pleasing stacks of potato-cheesy goodness.
It’s potato perfection, and a kind of go-to for everything from a dinner party to a simple weeknight dinner. It’s the layering that elevates this style of potato.
The layers, stacked with cheese and covered (not smothered) with heavy cream, stand alone as they peel away from the muffin cup to reveal the tiers of tender potato. And those golden edges of crispy baked cheesiness are the jewel in the crown of this tower of goodness.
This is one of those times when playing with food is a good thing! These Cheesy Potato Stacks are a playful take on the au gratin experience, rustic yet elegant and decidedly irresistible.
Cheesy Potato Stacks
Yield(s): Serves 12
15m prep time
50m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 pt heavy cream
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 cups Swiss/Gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a standard 3 x 4 muffin tin with paper or foil muffin liners and spray with a nonstick cooking oil.
- In a sauce pot, combine the heavy cream, grated garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and allow to sit while you prepare the potatoes.
- Peel and thinly slice the potatoes using a knife or mandoline but do not soak them in water.
- Begin stacking the potato slices inside the muffin liners until they are about halfway filled.
- Pour 1 Tbsp of the heavy cream mixture over each potato stack.
- Use half of the shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese and top each potato stack with cheese. Then, continue stacking potatoes until each muffin liner is filled slightly over the top.
- Pour another 1 Tbsp of the heavy cream mixture over each stack of potato.
- Cover loosely with foil or parchment and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and top each with the remaining gruyere and parmesan.
- Bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, or until brown and bubbly!
