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:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
I adapted this recipe to grate the potato to cut down waste, and mix through the cheese and cream before scooping in to the muffin tray and they’re excellent. Also a great lunch box snack.
Great idea Josh!! N x
Hey, thanks Josh because I’ve been wondering if they can be made as grated potato cakes – and thank you Nagi because I have a 19 yo son who has started ‘lifting’ (weights) again and these are just the thing to fill a few gaps! Absolutely delicious and so easy!
These are delicious but next time I won’t oil my non-stick muffin tin. They were just too oily.
Hi making the gratin tin stacks
Can I pre assemble them a couple hours ahead and put in frig or no?
Hi Hope, you need to cook them as storing uncooked potatoes like this will turn grey. See the recipe notes for instructions on how to reheat 🙂 N x
Is there something I could substitute for the heavy cream to make them a little healthier for a midweek meal? Happy for it to have diary but I’d prefer not use cream.
I’ve made these a few times and boy are they good! A little time consuming but so worth it! If your family are onion freaks like mine, add some diced onion to the cream mixture….yum!
Do you reheat in the muffin tins or will they hold their shape well enough to reheat on a cookie sheet? I need to make 18 and I only have muffin tins for 12.
Hi Nagi- I can’t wait to make these for Easter Sunday lunch- to go with your slow roasted leg of lamb! How far ahead can I make these?
Hi Rebecca, up to 2 days in the fridge will be fine or up to 3 months in the freezer. N x
Could I do this with Cauliflower instead of potatoes? I love potatoes, but they spike my blood sugar. =(
Hi Beth, I feel like the water content in cauliflower won’t quite work here – something I’d need to test! N x
Wow Nagi, this is a wonderful recipe! Thanks
Easter: here we come!! Thank you so much for this different potato recipe.
You’re so welcome Phyllis – I hope you have a great Easter! N x
I’m just about to try making these in our pie maker. I have made them previously in the muffin tin and we loved them.
Absolutely delicious. Love them .thank you Nagi
I really love your recipe, simple & very delicious. It tastes exactly what I used to have at one of my favorite restaurant. Thanks for sharing 😊😊
I made a vessel error and stacked my potatoes etc in jumbo sized muffin tins. I actually think the mistaken size might be good as a side. They’re more substantial! The only difference is that I used up the gruyere, cream mix quicker as instead of 12, I got 6. I had to add a little more bake time and turned on the broiler a couple of minutes to add more color to the tops. I’m testing these for an upcoming dinner with friends, I will see how they reheat and will go from there. Straight out of the oven, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
My parents and grandpa loved this as a delicious change from the typical mashed potatoes for christmas dinner, thank you!