For breakfast with eggs? As party food? As a side for a fancy dinner? The possibilities are endless. And these Mini Potato Gratin Stacks are just 85 calories per serving!
All you need to know is that these Mini Potato Gratin Stacks are cheesy, creamy and ridiculously irresistible. I mean, come on. Potatoes + cheese + cream + garlic + butter. BAM! That’s a home run right there!
These are inspired by the French Food Goddess Julia Childs and her classic French Potato Gratin / Dauphinoise which I posted last year. It is dangerous for me to make her Potato Dauphinoise when I don’t have company because I literally cannot stop eating it. I swear, she is single handedly responsible for the abnormal amount of stretchy clothes in my wardrobe.
French food. Butter. Cream. Butter. Garlic. Cream.
CHEESE.
SO GOOD.
By making these in mini form, you can convince yourself they are almost healthy because each mini stack only has 85 calories. Believe me when I say it DOES NOT TASTE LIKE THAT! The reason there is no photo with all 12 that this recipe makes is because I simply could not resist helping myself to 1 2 3.
It was lunch!! LUNCH! Don’t judge me!!
Whenever I post a recipe like this, I can anticipate the email I’ll get from my mother. “Who ate it all? Aren’t you supposed to be on a DIET?” “Did you deliver all these to the homeless? Hot?”
So this is the thing. With all the cooking I’ve been doing for my blog and also for clients, I have found myself with an extraordinarily excessive amount of food. And I have connected with the less fortunate in my area. So at the end of almost every day, I do a food delivery. I pack up the food I have made, reheat it, then do a food delivery,
Then the next day when I do my next food delivery, I request feedback. They approved of these Mini Potato Gratin Stacks. 🙂
This is a recipe for all the potato-loving cheese monsters out there. Hail to us. All the recommended food groups, right there in one little stack! – Nagi x
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Cheesy Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)
Ingredients
- Oil spray
- 1 kg / 2 lb potatoes, large long ones (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp / 30 g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup cream, heavy / thickened (Note 4)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1 cup grated melting cheese (cheddar, gruyere, swiss, mozzarella)
- Fresh thyme leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Spray a standard 12 hole muffin tin with oil.
- Peel potatoes. Stand upright then cut into cylinder shapes, then slice potatoes into thin slices around 2mm/ 1/10" thick.
- Place butter, garlic, cream, salt, pepper and dried thyme in a microwave proof cup or bowl, then melt in 30 second bursts.
- Stir, then set aside.
- Place potato slices into the muffin tin so they go halfway up the muffin tin holes. Try to match by size to make them into neat stacks.
- Drizzle each potato stack with 1/2 tsp of cream mixture.
- Sprinkle HALF the cheese over the potato stacks.
- Top with remaining potato slices. Drizzle with remaining cream mixture and remaining thyme.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake without foil for 10 minutes or until golden and the potato is soft.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before removing. Use a tablespoon or butter knife to help scope them out. (Note 3)
To Serve
- Breakfast - serve with eggs and bacon.
- Dinner - serve as a side.
- Finger food - serve warm as is.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Can you use cupcake liners?
Hi Tracy, I find that you don’t get those crispy edges when you use liners – N x
Would parsnips work for this recipe?
I haven’t tried Carol, would love to know if it works exactly the same!
Awww Nagi, this is the first recipe I made from your site back in 2015 for Christmas lunch.
I’d forgotten about it until recently when I stumbled across some old photos (love to take a food pic or two) so made them again. They’re as good now as they were then 😋
Thank you 🙌
Wahoo! That’s great!
A hit at our house
Wahoo, that’s great PJ!
Hi Nagi
Just wondering if I can make the mini potato gratin snack on Friday or Saturday and reheat to serve Sunday dinner. I’m hosting a big party and won’t have time to cook as there will be other foods I’ll be reheating etc. Hope to hear from you today. Thanks
Hi Melissa, yes directions for this are in the recipe notes – N x
Tried these and they look beautiful! Just wondering if you freeze in muffin tins.. And reheat in them.? Do they have to be completely thawed before reheating?
Just made these, they look beautiful. I’m planning on freezing… Do I keep them in muffin tins and reheat in those?
Amazing recipe! I made these with mushroom sauce from your Beef Stroganoff link – a perfect match.
Great idea Julia, sounds divine!
Made this for a bridal shower tea party They were so yummy
Awesome!
Hi… Loved your recipe. Is there a replacement for cheese? Or a way to reduce it?
Hi Ishita, they are supposed to be cheesy so there isn’t really a replacement, but you could always reduce the amount if you prefer – N x
Hi Nagi,
Your writing is so enthusiastic I can hardly wait to try these! Your recipe was found by me on Pinterest. Thank you.
You’re so welcome Mary, I hope you try my recipes and love them!
I made these potatoes last Christmas and were a big hit. However many of my family are not thyme lovers. Is there a substitute for the thyme that will still enhance this recipe? Any suggestions?