These Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks are wonderful, individual servings of the classic Gratin Dauphinoise. These are absolutely decadent stacks of thinly sliced potatoes, cream, garlic, cheese and thyme all cooked in a muffin tin until nice and caramelized.
Whenever I think about Easter, I always remember the warm casserole dish of Gratin Dauphinoise being passed around the table. The rich and delicious aromas of the thinly sliced potatoes mixed with the warm, fresh cream, thyme, garlic, and sometimes even rosemary and onion, gave the dish almost a sensual quality that delights the senses and warms your to your very soul. It always was, and probably always be, my favorite holiday side dish.
But why should we deny our taste buds these flavors but once, maybe twice a year? {- – crickets – -} That’s what I thought. Cooking in muffin tins has become all the rage the past few years, and for good reason. It breaks down more complicated comfort food dishes into easy to prepare individual portions. And the possibilities are endless!! Frittata’s, pies, meatloaves, pancakes, French toast, or in this case, gooey cheesy potatoes stacks.
What is Gratin Dauphinoise?
Gratin Dauphinoise is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked with cream, and milk or cream. This dish goes by many names and is commonly known as Scalloped Potatoes here in the States. These Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks are ridiculously irresistible with each having those wonderful golden brown edges which is my favorite part!
Is there a difference between Scalloped Potatoes and Potatoes au Gratin?
While both side dishes are share similar there are some small, but distinct, differences that can be a little confusing:
The phrase “au Gratin” literally means “by grating” in French, or “with a crust”. Potatoes au Gratin tend to be either layered with cheese, covered in a cheesy sauce, toped with shredded cheese, or breadcrumbs, and baked.
Scalloped Potatoes, on the other hand, may contain cheese on the inside or sprinkled on the outside, but does not traditionally contain cheese. A purely traditional Scalloped Potatoes recipe calls for thinly sliced potatoes cooked in heavy cream and milk with fresh herbs.
Ingredients in these Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
- Potatoes: A nice starchy potato, such as Russet, is ideal here.
- Cheese: I have used smoke gouda here but any any cheese the melts well will work such as Gruyere, Swiss cheese, cheddar or even Colby.
- Heavy Cream: I love the use of only Heavy Cream in this dish. I love the heaver and thicker consistency it gives. However, an equal mixture of heavy cream and whole milk would work here as well.
- Garlic, Thyme, and Nutmeg all to enhance the flavors. The nutmeg is really optional, I just love the extra depth that it gives cream based dishes. You will notice that I almost always include just a hint of fresh ground nutmeg into any dish where I use heavy cream as the base ingredient.
How to Make These Amazing Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
- Spray a 12 hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Heat the heavy cream and melt the butter in it. Add the garlic and nutmeg. Keep warm while preparing the potatoes to allow the garlic to infuse in the cream.
- Thinly slice the potatoes, a mandolin comes in handy here and grate the cheese.
- Layer it all up! Stack the potatoes in the muffin tins until about half way up. Spoon a teaspoon of the cream mixture over. Top with half of the cheese, add another layer of potatoes, and top with remaining cheese and cream mixture. Sprinkle with thyme and bake.
What to serve with these Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks:
- Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- Danish Meatballs (Frikadeller)
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom and Onion Gravy
- Lemon Chicken Thighs in a Lemon Butter Sauce
If you love it, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you and this would help me with future recipes!
Contact me if you would like to see any of your childhood favorites updated or reinvented.
Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks
Equipment
- 1 12 hole muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Russet potatoes thinly sliced
- 7 oz smoked gouda cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Spray a 12 hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Heat cream in a small sauce pan. Add butter and melt. Add garlic, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Keep warm, allowing the garlic to infuse into the cream, while you prep the potatoes.
- Thinly slice the potatoes into 2mm / 0.1″ thin slices. A mandolin come in very handy here.
- Layer the potatoes in the muffin tin until about half way up. Top with half the cheese and a teaspoon of the cream mixture. Repeat using the remaining ingredients.
- Top with the thyme and bake about 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and nice and crisp.
Notes
*Please note that the amount of calories and nutritional value per serving is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly. Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Can you freeze these cheesy gratins ? They look delicious.