Gruyere and Thyme Stacked Potatoes are so easy to make in a muffin tin. They have layers upon layers of thinly sliced potatoes, gruyere and parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and of course garlic. Their edges are crispy while the inside melts in your mouth. A must make for the holidays, and easy enough for a side to a weeknight dinner.
Potatoes, gruyere, and thyme… oh my! It’s only the ULTIMATE trifecta of savory food. Whether you’re looking for an easy yet delicious side dish recipe for a weeknight meal, a special date night dinner, or a Thanksgiving side dish, this combination hits the spot.
I’ve been semi–obsessed with ultimate comfort a lot lately. It’s no secret that when the temperature drops in Minnesota, we reach for cheese, carbs, and more cheese and carbs for comfort.
And these potato stacks are no exception in the ultimate comfort category. We’re talking carbs, and cheese, and herbs, and crispy edges and cheesy centers and helloooo, love, come to mama!
There’s truly nothing better than crispy potatoes.
You’ll love how elegant and unique these potato stacks are to make, and even more so you’ll love how EASY they are to make, too. There truly is nothing better. So, what do you say, let’s get to cooking!
The Ingredients
There are just a few simple ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Simple yet elegant and impressive, that’s what we’re after! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: also known as yellow potatoes, they are smaller in size than Russets or sweet potatoes, and are the perfect size to fit in our muffin tin. They have a thin, waxy skin that crisps up in this recipe, and their starchy, creamy interior melts in your mouth.
- Gruyere and Parmesan: a cheese combination that’s irresistible! Gruyere is complex in flavors, a mix of nutty, slightly fruity, and earthy, with a delicious finish. And parmesan is our salty must-have.
- Thyme: earthy, fragrant, herb-tastic thyme pairs so well with the cheeses and is the ultimate comfort herb of the season!
- Garlic: you really can’t have this combination of flavors without garlic!
- Butter: it helps the potatoes crisp up and adds loads of indulgent flavor!
Tips for Making Potato Stacks
Stacked potatoes just might be my new favorite way to enjoy potatoes. The thinly sliced potatoes are piled high into muffin tins, layered between a cheesy mixture with fresh herbs and garlic. Resulting in crispy edges and a creamy interior.
Those crisp edges are key, too, and the best way to achieve them is by making sure you have very thinly sliced potatoes.
A thin slice also ensures that the potatoes cook through to their tender, creamy selves.
I recommend using a mandoline to slice the potatoes. It ensures that each slice is the same thickness and makes cutting them a breeze (just be careful of the blade!). I use a hand-held mandoline that’s easy to store, use, and clean.
Once you’ve sliced the potatoes, you’ll toss them in melted butter until coated, which helps create both the crispy edges and keeps the centers of the potatoes moist. Plus, butter and potatoes are meant to be!
Because there is butter on the potato slices, there’s not really a need to grease the muffin tin. If you want to lightly spray it, be my guest, I just recommend doing so lightly as to prevent too much grease in the tin.
How to Assemble the Stacks
Ok, now that we have some tips and tricks down, it’s time to get to stacking! First things first, mix up the cheese layer.
For the cheese filling, you’ll combine a mixture of thinly shredded gruyere and parmesan cheeses, with fresh garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper for flavor. Toss it together until it’s completely combined.
As mentioned in the tips, you will have very thinly sliced potatoes. Toss the potato slices in the melted butter until they’re completely coated. I find this easiest to do with (clean!) hands to rub the butter all around the potatoes.
Now that the potatoes are coated in butter, it’s time to get stacking. Start with a regular-sized muffin tin.
In each muffin tin, you will stack the potatoes and cheese picture. I recommend layering about 4 potato slices for each potato layer. In each muffin tin, you will alternate the potato slices and cheese. It will go like this:
- potatoes (about 4 slices or so)
- cheese mixture
- potatoes (again, about 4 slices or so)
- cheese mixture
- potatoes (again, about 4 slices or so)
- cheese mixture
You’ll repeat the layers about 4 times until the potato stacks are above the muffin tin quite a bit. The stacks will shrink as they bake, so making sure they start out higher than the pan ensures you have enough potato and cheese goodness in each stack once they’ve baked.
Before you pop them in the oven, be sure each stack is topped with the cheese mixture. Then, bake away until perfectly golden brown, bubbly, crispy, and cheesy!
They’ll cook for about 45 minutes total, and I recommend covering for the first part to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn and the potatoes are cooked through before getting too golden.
What to Serve with Stacked Potatoes
There’s really no wrong answer to the infamous question: “what should I serve with that?”.
And if you know me at all you know I’d consider these cheesy stacks of deliciousness as a meal in themselves. There is no shame in my potato and cheese game – at all. 😂
But I know I may be alone in that, so if you’re looking for the best things to pair with these stacks of cheesy goodness, might I recommend:
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
- Thanksgiving dinner
- Naturally, a meat-and-potatoes type dinner. Try them with chicken (skillet chicken with white wine and garlic is a winner) or a perfectly cooked steak
- A hearty salad (like this Simple Dijon Salad, or a Spinach Salad with Tangy Red Wine Vinaigrette)
- Parmesan Crusted Rosemary Fish
More Cheesy Potato Recipes to Love
Not only do stacked potatoes make an excellent side, but you can totally pass them off as an appetizer, too. Who’s going to turn these cuties down?! No one, I’d say!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Gruyere and Thyme Stacked Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gruyere cheese*, thinly shredded,
- ⅔ cup parmesan cheese*, thinly shredded
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped, or 1 ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 to 1 ¼ tsp coarse sea salt, halve for fine salt
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, about 4-5, thinly sliced and unpeeled
- 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Optional: lightly grease 12 muffin tins.
- In a medium bowl, mix together gruyere, parmesan, thyme, salt, and garlic.1 ½ cups gruyere cheese*, ⅔ cup parmesan cheese*, 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 to 1 ¼ tsp coarse sea salt, 2-4 garlic cloves
- In a second large bowl, coat the sliced potatoes with melted butter (I usually just use my clean hands to make sure all the potato slices are coated as evenly as possible).1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- In a regular-sized (12) muffin tin, layer 4 potato slices and then approximately 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Continue this pattern of 4 potato slices, then cheese, until the potatoes are taller than the tin (they will shrink when they cook). You’ll have 3-4 layers total, ending with cheese on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. How thinly you sliced your potatoes and how high you stacked will affect the bake time, you want them to be fork-tender with the tops and sides golden brown. Remove potato stacks with a spoon (I “scoop” them out) and serve with additional thyme as desired.
Notes
- Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes really thin. I use the 1.5 or 2.5mm setting on my handheld mandoline (or 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch).
- The potatoes themselves generally release enough oil from the butter and cheese to not require any greasing of a non-stick muffin tin. If you know your pan likes to stick, I’d recommend lightly greasing it.
- *Look for cheese specifically labeled vegetarian, if needed.
- Press the cheese down a bit when measuring, or have “heaping” measurements. 🙂
- The recipe card was updated 11/2020; the cooking time was reduced by 5-10 minutes after further testing and feedback. The cook time will depend on the thickness of your potato slices and how high you stack them, as noted. Please keep this in mind and check for doneness as the tops and sides become golden brown and bubbly.
Video
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
This recipe was originally published in October of 2017; the text and process photos were updated in November of 2020; any changes to the recipe were noted in the recipe card.
Ben Myhre
This looks really yummy and I happen to have some gruyere in the fridge. hmmmmmm.
Becca
That sounds like it’s meant to be 😉 Enjoy!
Chels Rief
I just think this sounds incredible! I love me some stacked potatoes!
Becca
Thanks, Chels! I love them too!
Natasha Minocha
This is an AMAZING recipe!! I know it’ll be a huge hit with my family! Thank you for sharing.
Becca
Thanks, Natasha! I’m so glad your family will enjoy it! 🙂
Kelly Kardos
I can’t wait to try these!
Becca
Hope you love them!
Lisa
What do you use to slice the potatoes? And how many muffin tins does it fill?
Becca
I use 12 regular sized muffin tins. I use a mandoline to slice the potatoes to about 1/4 inch thick. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Lisa
Hey! Just wondering how many muffin tins this fills? (Do I need 12? 24?)
Also what do you use to slice the potatoes thin?
Becca
I use 12 regular sized muffin tins. I use a mandoline to slice the potatoes to about 1/4 inch thick. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Sarah Offerman
I can’t wait to make this for thanksgiving! I’ll be trying it with white sweet potatoes *droool*
Becca
That sounds divine, Sarah! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Candace
Did it work with sweet potatoes?
Kfzabala
Hi! Can you stack these and refrigerate a day ahead? I’d like to prep them ahead of time and cook them on thanksgiving day.
Becca
Hi! I haven’t done this myself but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work! I’d just recommend bringing them out of the fridge 15-20 minutes or so before baking them. Can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
Erin
Absolutely delicious! Wouldn’t change one thing except possibly a little less salt. Will be making these again for dinner parties.
Becca
I love them for dinner parties, too! Thanks for sharing!
Hyacinth
Hi, this was tasty enough, but not what I expected. The only crispy part was the top layer of potato/cheese. The edges didn’t crisp at all. Maybe I did something wrong, but I read and re-read the instructions and followed everything except the type of potato; I couldn’t get Yukon so used red potatoes.
Becca
I’m sorry to hear they weren’t what you’d expected. I’ve never tried the recipe with red potatoes, but I’d be happy to troubleshoot with you if you’d like. How thinly did you slice the potatoes? That makes a big difference. Also, do you happen to have an oven thermometer? Often ovens take longer to reach a certain temperature, which is key in the crispiness.
Joanne
Do these stick to the muffin tins or should I line the tins with paper muffin liners?
Becca
Hi Joanne – the butter their coated in helps them come out pretty easily, and letting them bake alone in the pan allows the edges to crisp up. Check out the video in the post to see how I scoop them out of the pan with a spoon. Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy!
Malinda Barrett
Made these last night. Burnt them pretty bad, even following the recipe exactly. I will try again because what wasn’t burnt was delicious, but may bring down the heat or some other fix.
YUM!
Becca
I’m so sorry to hear they burnt, Malinda! I’m glad the parts that weren’t were still delicious though. Do you have an oven thermometer? Oven temps can vary, so I wonder if that could play a factor. Let me know how it works out next time – I’d love to help you troubleshoot if needed!
Linds
Just made these! So yummy. I used a knife Nd they came out fine.
Becca
Excellent! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Carole
Outstanding – best potato recipe I’ve tried in ages; thank you!
Becca
Thank you so much, Carole! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Andrea
One of those easy, impressive and delicious recipes!
Becca
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks, Andrea! 🙂
Abby
These potatoes were AMAZING!!! The perfect accompaniment to my Christmas Dinner. Truly helped make a different sort of Christmas feel more special by getting to share amazing food- have already passed along to my sister, mom and in-laws! Have been following Becca on Instagram for awhile and think she is just so delightful and fun! Have had these pinned and I am so glad I made them! Can’t wait to try more Fork In the Kitchen recipes!
Becca
Abby – thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear they made this year’s Christmas feel a little more special. So glad to have you following along! 🙂
Nancy
Loved this! Easy and delicious. Added sweet potatoes in the stack. Served at our Bed and Breakfast and got great reviews from our guests.
Becca
I’m so glad to hear that, Nancy!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sarah
Our absolute favorite!! We make these when we are having a dinner party and really want to impress our guests. Everyone always raves about them! Great compliment to steak.
Becca Mills
So glad to hear it, Sarah! Thank you!
Tina S
Made these on Thanksgiving, and everyone LOVED IT! Everyone had their own serving of “crispy” cheese around the edges. Flavors were amazing, and even picky eaters liked it. Recipe was easy to make. Next time I will use cooking spray, as they did stick in the muffin tins a bit.
Becca Mills
Yay! So glad to hear! Thanks so much for your review, Tina!
Mauricette
Hi! Do you have any recommendations on how I could reheat them if I make them earlier in the day?
Becca Mills
Hi Mauricette! I would keep them in the muffin tin and reheat, covered, in the oven until warmed through (maybe cook them for less time initially so they don’t burn or overcook). Otherwise, you can assemble the potatoes ahead of time and bake when you’re ready. Hope this helps!
Christina
Can I cut the
Potatoes day before or will they be gross?
Becca Mills
Hi Christina – since they’re so thin, you don’t want to prep them too far in advance or they’ll get waterlogged. If anything, I’d recommend slicing them a couple of hours in advance the day of and placing them in a bowl of water in the fridge, then pat dry before assembly. You could also try assembling the stacks in muffin tins the day before and then continuing on with baking when you’re ready to serve. Hope this helps!
Lynn
My husband loved these so much and wondered why we didn’t find this recipe years ago. We bought smoked Gruyère, next time I won’t buy it smoked but delicious anyway! My slices were mostly consistent, but larger round than my muffin pan. I used two rounds for one layer. I may try the thinner slices next time. Either way I feel like this recipe has flexibility and will be delicious every time!
Becca Mills
I’m glad you found it now 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment, Lynn, I’m so glad you all loved it!
Cindy
Looking forward to trying this. I always have leftover potatoes when I do a casserole or something. Can I freeze / re-heat these?
Becca Mills
Hi Cindy – great question. I haven’t tried freezing them myself so I can’t say for certain. Let me know if you try it and I’ll do the same.
Jeff MacDonald
I made these today with grilled petite filet mignons, fresh, steamed, buttered, garlic green beans, and a salad.
My wife and I absolutely loved these! I may never make another potato recipe!
Mine were shorter and darker than shown in the post, but excellent anyway.
Thanks!
Becca Mills
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you both loved them. Thanks so much for commenting, Jeff!!
Jen M
I prepared this recipe for 240 servings. The flavor combination is amazing and it was well received, however, there was a lot of juice/grease. Next event I will prepare in pans with drain capabilities.
Rosina Holtzhausen
Wanted to make this for my sister. You can only give her potatoes to eat. She passed away in June 2022 and I could not serve her this recipe. So now I tried it out thinking of her. It was lovely 💕
Becca Mills
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Rosina, and I hope it brought you some comfort with the thoughts of your sister. Food is special in that way. Hugs!
Morgan
This looks delicious. I would like to point out that there is no way this is 1 carb. Potatoes have more than that. They would be at least 8.
Becca Mills
Hi Morgan – thanks for pointing that out. I ran the recipe through the calculator again (there was likely a mistake when I updated the recipe card template). As noted, the nutrition facts listed are just a guide and should be double-checked on your own if needed. Hope this helps!
Lisa
I made these last year for thanksgiving and everyone loved them! I want to make them again but I’m having trouble finding Gruyere cheese. What other cheese can be used? Would Seuss of mild cheddar work?
Lisa
That should be Swiss or mild cheddar- spell check strikes again!
Becca Mills
Great question! Yes, either will work but I’d go with swiss (or Emmental) over cheddar just because of the flavor difference. Do stick with mild cheddar like you said if you go that route. If you can find it, Comté is also really similar to Gruyere. Fontina would also be a really good substitute. So glad to hear they were a hit last year! Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving!
Janelle Jordan
These were SO GOOD!!! I was worried we sliced the potatoes a little thin (middle schooler learning knife skills in class!) but they still worked great, just cooked faster. I can think of so many meals these would go well with. Another amazing recipe from Fork in the Kitchen!!!
Keri
Any suggestions on using this recipe to make one large pan for a group? And do these reheat well for bringing to a gathering? Thanks!
Becca Mills
Hi Keri! They do reheat well but may lose some of their crispiness around the edges. I haven’t made them in one large pan myself so it’s hard to say. You could definitely try placing stacks of potatoes in a 9×13 pan to make a larger batch and baking as you would a casserole or scalloped potatoes. The edge texture will likely be different but I can see it working out flavor-wise. Would love to hear if you give it a try!
Laura
Sounds fabulous, I’m making for a crowd of 60, do you think I could just stack on a cookie sheet with a skewer to keep from toppeling?
Becca Mills
Hi Laura! I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure. You won’t get the texture of the crispy edges that you’d get in the muffin tin so it would be a little different. If they don’t seem to be browning, give them a minute or two under the broiler. Would love to hear how it goes!
Betty c
Does anyone know if we can prep these ahead of time ? Maybe par baked?
Becca Mills
Hi Betty – You could try assembling the stacks in muffin tins the day before and then continuing on with baking when you’re ready to serve. I don’t recommend doing this more than a day in advance. I haven’t tried it myself but would love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try. Hope this helps!