Mini Potato Gratin Stacks

Potatoes au gratin is a great side dish for any meal, one that is tasty and pretty to have on the table. In fact, we have a great traditional Potatoes Au Gratin dish on our blog that you may want to check out. But, for our Mini Potato Gratin Stacks we wanted to deconstruct the traditional dish into individual servings and make it something that could be presented as a side dish or an appetizer.

The key to this recipe is making sure the potato slices are very thin, so they bake properly. This recipe does have cheese, specifically Parmesan cheese, that has a good salt content so we recommend tasting the cheese mixture before adding additional salt. Finally, this recipe made eight short stacks. If you want more, you can double the recipe or if you want less, simply stack the potatoes higher.

Prepping the Ingredients

Start by mincing the garlic with a 7-5/8″ Petite Chef. If this technique is new to you, we have a great video tutorial on how to properly mince garlic that you can view here.

Once the thyme leaves are removed from the stalk, use a 5″ Petite Santoku to chop the leaves.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Using the Traditional Cheese Knife, thinly slice the potatoes.

If the cheese is in blocks, this is a good time to grate the Parmesan cheese and shred the Gruyere cheese. If you can’t find Gruyere cheese, you can substitute Swiss cheese or Gouda. You want a cheese that has a creamy texture.

Making the Recipe

Preheat your oven to 400 F and spray the cups of a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the minced garlic, cooking for one minute. Be careful to not burn the garlic. Add the heavy cream and flour, whisking with a Mix-Stir to incorporate the flour. Cook for two to three minutes or until the cream starts to thicken and remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine your cheeses, fresh thyme, salt and black pepper. Add the heavy cream mixture and stir to combine the ingredients. Add the sliced potatoes to the cheese mixture and toss to coat the potatoes. I prefer to do this with my hands as this ensures the potatoes are separated and every slice is coated.

Layer the potato slices into the prepared muffin cups, dividing equally.

This recipe makes eight short stacks so if you want six, just stack the potatoes higher. Spoon any additional cheese sauce over the potato stacks.

Cut a sheet of aluminum foil that is large enough to cover the muffin tin and spray one side of the foil with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking. Cover the muffin tin with the foil, sprayed side down and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake the potato stacks for an additional 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. You can test the doneness by inserting a paring knife into the center of the stack. They should be fork tender and golden brown.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and gently slide a butter knife around the edges of each stack to keep them from sticking. Use a spoon to remove the potato stacks and transfer to a serving plate. Dollop some sour cream on each stack as well as some bacon bits and serve immediately.

These Mini Potato Gratin Stacks had all the flavor of the original large dish recipe but were easier to serve and prepare. We all loved the look of the stacks and could see them being served as part of a larger meal or as an appetizer at a family or friends gathering. Perhaps most important, the flavor was amazing. The creaminess of the cheeses along with the fresh thyme and the thin potatoes were deliciousness in every bite. We highly recommend topping these stacks with the sour cream and bacon bits as those ingredients only added to the flavor. Enjoy!