My crispy potato stacks take everything you love about golden, cheesy potatoes and turn it into a perfect side dish. Thin slices bake with crispy edges and tender centers, with melted cheese and dripping with seasoned garlic butter!
How these stack up against the competition
- Crispier edges, softer centers: If you follow my example and get thin, uniform slices, they will be perfect! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Better to melt the cheese: If you grate your cheese by hand, it will darkenn beautifully and add a richer flavor. Trust me on this one, it makes a difference.
- Easy and reliable results: I give you simple tips for slicing, cutting and pan cooking to ensure you get even cooking without sticking.
Ingredients needed for potato stacks
- Cheese: Swap the Gruyere for mozzarella or cheddar if you want a cheaper option. Hand-grated cheese melts and browns better than pre-grated cheese.
- Potatoes: Peel them or leave the peel on. Leaving the skin on works well if the potatoes are uniformly shaped and fit into the muffin slots without cutting them.
- Metal on silicone: Use a non-stick or well-greased metal muffin pan for best crunch. Avoid silicone pans, which prevent browning.
- Stack ’em high! The stacks will sink during cooking. You can fill each well slightly above the rim or build them taller. Just increase the cooking time for taller stacks.
How to make stacks of potatoes
These piles of potatoes come together easily if you follow my recipe directions. If you love easy side dishes like this, you might also enjoy my Cheese Gratin Potatoes or my Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.
- Make and prepare the garlic butter: Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, then set aside. Add the butter, garlic, cream, salt, pepper, and thyme to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and is fragrant with the garlic and thyme.
- Potatoes covered in buttery sauce: Add the sliced potatoes to a large bowl, then pour the herb and garlic butter over them and toss until evenly coated.
- Stack: Arrange the potato slices in the muffin tins until they are about half full. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly across the stacks, then layer the potatoes until the wells are filled, about 1/2 inch above the edge.
- Baking: Top the potato stacks with the remaining cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a sharp knife easily cuts through the potato to the bottom of each cup. They should have crispy edges and be golden. Let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes before serving. Decorate with a sprig of fresh thyme.
Alyssa’s expert advice
Mandolin: I recommend using a mandolin. Produces thin, even slices (shoot ⅛ – 1/16 inch). Cut larger slices so they lie flat in the muffin tin.
Press
Stacks of cheesy potatoes
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Equipment
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mandolin slicerwith 1/16 inch thick connection
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1 twelve-place muffin traypreferably non-stick
Ingredients
- 3 lbs sliced russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/16-inch-thick slices, about 5 large potatoes
- 4 cloves minced garlic about 1 heaped tablespoon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 spoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 twigs fresh thyme more for garnish, if desired
- 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400℉. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
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Add ¼ cup unsalted butter, 4 cloves of garlic minced, 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepperAND 5 sprigs of fresh thyme in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and is fragrant with the garlic and thyme, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Add 3 pounds sliced russet potatoes into a large bowl and pour the butter mixture over it, stirring until the potatoes are all evenly coated.
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Arrange the potato slices in the cavities of the muffin pan until they are about half full. Sprinkle half of the 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese AND ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese evenly across all stacks, then overlap potatoes until wells are filled to about 1/2 inch above edge of muffin wells.
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Top the potato stacks evenly with the remaining Gruyere and Parmesan.
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Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until a paring knife can easily pierce the center of a stack of potatoes to the bottom of the muffin and the edges are golden brown and crisp.
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Let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack or serving plate. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.
Notes
- Fridge: In an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in oven at 350 until crisp and heated through again, about 15 minutes.
- Freezer: Not recommended.
- Go ahead: You can prepare it up to 24 hours in advance. Just make sure the potato slices are completely covered in herb butter (or already stacked in the muffin pan). If potatoes are not covered or kept in water, they will oxidize and turn brown.
Nutrition
Other delicious potato side dishes to try
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Recipe skill levels
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Gratin Potatoes
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