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
When you combine potatoes, cream, cheese, garlic and butter, you just can't go wrong. These individual size portions made in a muffin tin are great as a side, for breakfast with eggs (and bacon!) OR as finger food for a party! Just 85 calories per piece and they're freezer friendly too! Recipe VIDEO below.
- 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
-
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)
-
Breakfast - serve with eggs and bacon.
-
Dinner - serve as a side.
-
Finger food - serve warm as is.
1. You need to use starchy potatoes as they breakdown when cooked, becoming nice and fluffy on the inside and golden and crunchy on the outside. The best to use are Russet (common in the US), Dutch creams, King Edwards or red delight. However, great all rounders like golden delight, coliban, red rascal and Sebago (popular in Australia - the dirt brushed ones) still works great.
I use Sebago which are the brushed potatoes you can get from any supermarket in Australia (ie. the ones with dirt on them). If you are based in the US, a great all rounder to use is Russet which I understand is one of the most widely used potatoes in the US.
Get long large ones that are suitable to cut into cylinder shapes.
2. Fantastic for making ahead! Bake per recipe then either freeze them (defrost before reheating) or keep them in the refrigerator. Them pop them in a 180C/350F oven for 10 minutes just to heat through.
3. Spraying the muffin tin + the butter and cream helps keep the gratin stacks from sticking to the muffin tin. Also, the muffin tin I use is non stick. If your muffin tin is not non stick, spray it generously with oil before putting the potato in to ensure it slips out easily! Because starchy potatoes are used for this recipe, they breakdown and become soft so they sort of bond together which helps keep these stacks upright. Some might slide slightly when you take them out but the resting time helps "set" them.
4. Any pourable cream is fine though thickened / heavy cream will yield creamiest result because they have a higher fat content.
5. Mini Potato Gratin Stacks nutrition per serving. Insanely sensible!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Made these tonight. So delicious. Didn’t have heavy cream so I cooked some light cream down to thicken it, worked like a charm. Even used alternating pieces of sweet and white potato instead of all white ones. This will be making regular appearances on my table!!!!
That sounds great Kim!!! So glad you loved them!
Do you think these would be ok in a 9×13 Pan off stacked carefully or would they just fall over into a big slab of potatoes?
They tend to slide around unfortunately!
These look so good! Do you think I could make them in advance and freeze them? Would I freeze before or after baking? This would sure save time on Christmas day! Thank you!
Hi Mari – They are perfect to make ahead. All directions are in note 2 of the recipe ☺️
Hi Nagi! Can I line the muffin pans in aluminium foil or grease them in butter them if I don’t have oil spray?
Butter would be brilliant! 🙂 N x
Why does the video show a cube of butter but recipe only says 2tbs? Help want to do it right. Thanks
Did you get an answer? I’m curious too!
Hi Cindy and Ray! It’s just the shape of the butter I have cut from a big block of butter! It is 30g/2 tbsp 🙂 It must just be the shape that makes it look like more!
Great, thank you!!
Hi Nagi, I would like to make this recipe ahead but left uncooked and stored in the fridge before roasting. Would this be ok? Can’t wait to try it! 😍
Hi Emm! Unfortunately I don’t recommend that because the salt salt will drawn liquid from the potatoes 🙂 Best to bake then reheat!
Can you please answer Cindy’s question? Im also curious as to the quality of the butter. 2Tbls. or a stick like the video shows?
Gosh that’s not a stick in the video! 🙂 It’s just the way I have cut a piece from a big block. It is as per the recipe please – 2 tbsp!
Can you use red potatoes
That should be fine Sheila!
These were, as my husband said, “Quite fantastic!”
That’s so great to hear Marie! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
I made these last night as a side dish for beef tenderloin and grilled asparagus and I have to say they were delicious. I used shredded gruyere cheese as that is my husbands favorite and he said these are now a must have on a regular basis! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
That’s great to hear Sharon! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
This recipe is impossible! Today I attempted to make these for a wedding shower that I’m having ar my home next week. Everything went as planned, the first batch came out of the oven looking perfect and smelled heavenly. I ate 3 to be sure they were ok. Hubby walked in and downed 4 before I could turn around. With a second batch in the oven. I ran out to get another muffin tin. I returned to find my son and daughter eating the second batch. I sent them out for more ingredients, they came back with hungry friends. The cable guy grabbed a few on his way out the door. Thank you Nagi for a fabulous recipe and maybe I’ll be able to sneak a few batches into the freezer if I’m quick.
Your family could be in a sitcom! That’s sooooooo funny!!!!😂
HI Nag, how far ahead can you make these if you don’t want to freeze them? Are they okay a day before?
Even 2 to 3 days is fine! 🙂 N x
How would you suggest freezing these? Would you freeze them covered or like blanched vegetables, uncovered on a tray?
Hi Judy! I let them cool then put them in an airtight container to freeze. Or even into ziplock bags!
Hi Nagi, i have been enjoying your recipes for quite sometime. Not only are you creative, but fun to read. These stacks are yummy. They have become a staple for Thanksgiving dinner with only one tweak. Instead of regular potatoes, i use white sweet potatoes which already are cylindrical and so i just have to slice them. Besides, they are white so my husband and brother had no idea they weren’t white potatoes.
Thank you for such a good recipe. Had my Irish family for corned beef and these potatoes were the star of the show! Everyone asked for the recipe and I sent them to your site. Don’t think i’ll Have a choice about making them again.
Really nice taste and very easy. Had these with the Beef and Guinness for St Patrick’s Day dinner. Will definitely make again.
Oooh what a pairing! 🙂 N x
I made these and they are delicious! I did have to cook them a little bit longer than the directions. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this Kaila! N x
OK, Nagi! Here goes. I am making these for dinner tonight with the Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin for myself, my boyfriend who is a a die hard foodie, and Buddy Boo, our Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog. This could be the dinner that gets me a ring! If it doesn’t, nothing will. I’ll let you know…