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Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks

March 2, 2020
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Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks are a bite size mouthful of rich creamy goodness. They look elegant but are simple to make. The fresh thyme and the cream marry the cheesy ham and potatoes in this delightful recipe. This is one of my favorite savories for an afternoon tea but also can be served on a platter for a group, appetizer or dinner!

Here’s the instructions on how to make these savory packages.

Ingredients for the recipe

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make the Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks. 3 pounds of yellow or golden potatoes (Yukon Gold work well), cream, unsalted butter, grated Gruyere (or any melting cheese), fresh thyme, Canadian Bacon finely chopped, garlic, salt and pepper.

Picture of ingredients for Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks
Ingredients for Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks

Preparing the potatoes

This recipe calls for little stacks of thinly sliced potatoes. For that task, the best kitchen tool is the mandolin. If you have never used one, it is a kitchen utensil that has a flat platform with a slicing blade on it. Primarily used for vegetables, the blade adjusts to cut to the desired thickness. Make sure you use the vegetable holder so you don’t slice your fingers. For me, this is a must kitchen tool and makes this recipe so much easier to make. And of course, if you don’t have a mandolin, you can certainly slice with a knife.

Mandolin slicer for Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks
Mandolin slicer

Slice the potatoes to approximately 1/8th inch thickness. You can adjust your blade to this thickness.

  • Mandolin ready to slice potatoes
  • Sliced potatoes
Prepping the potatoes

Next you will want to create little round disks for the stacks. To do this, take a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter and cut the potato slices into these little disks. You can get up to two disks out of each slice depending on how big your potatoes are. And don’t worry about the leftover potatoes – you can bake them up like fries, put them in a casserole and pour the remaining cream mixture over them or cook them for a rustic mashed potato. No wasting here!

NOTE: If you are looking for a more substantial serving size, use a larger cookie cutter like 2 inch or 3 inch. I am showing you an appetizer or afternoon tea savory size.

Picture of sliced potatoes and 1 1/2 inch cutter to make small disks for Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks.
Potatoes sliced and cut into small disks with 1 1/2 inch cutter

Preparing the cream mixture

To prepare the cream mixture for the Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks, melt the butter garlic in a microwave bowl in 30 second bursts until the butter is completely melted.

While the butter is melting, chop up your fresh thyme. Strip the leaves from the stems for 2 tbsp of chopped thyme. Discard the stems. The chopped thyme will be added to your cream mixture as well as in the layers of the potatoes. Reserve some fresh sprigs for decoration when complete.

Fresh Thyme in 3 ways - sprigs, chopped and twigs.
Fresh time – sprigs, chopped, twigs

Add the cream, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper stirring to combine. Set aside.

  • Butter and Garlic ready for microwave
  • Cream mixture put together

Putting the stacks together

Prepare the cheese by grating it. I like to use Gruyere – its salty but buttery taste is rich in this recipe. But you can use any melting cheese – cheddar and Havarti work well and are easily accessible at your grocery store.

Prepare the Canadian Bacon. Take 6 slices and finely chop them.

  • Grated Gruyere Cheese
  • Chopped Canadian Bacon

Line up your ingredients and equipment

You will need your muffin tins, potatoes, cream sauce, cheese, Canadian bacon, fresh thyme.

You should have 2 – 12 cup standard size muffin tins or 1 – 24 cup standard size muffin tin. You might think that it would be best to go with a mini-muffin tin, but the stacks exceed the height of the mini muffin tin and will slide off during the baking process. So go with the standard muffin size. The muffin tins should be sprayed with cookie spray. No butter needed – there is enough in the sauce.

Spraying the muffin tins with cooking spray for the Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks
Preparing the muffin tins

Next get the potatoes ready. You have already cut them into little disks. Stack 5 slices in each muffin cup.

Ingredients lined up and ready to assemble for Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks
Ready to assemble

Take your cream mixture and pour 1/2 tsp of the mixture over the top of the stack. Place a sprinkle of cheese, chopped Canadian bacon, and fresh thyme on the stack. Do this on all 24 stacks. Top each stack with the remaining 5 slices and repeat the sauce and toppings.

Baking

Once you have assembled all the potato stacks, you want to bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Cover the stacks with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for the remaining 10 minutes. You may need to take a knife or spoon to straighten up the stacks.

Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks ready for the oven
Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks ready for the oven

When the stacks are done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then remove to another container. Take a butter knife and loosen the stack carefully lifting out – they will still be warm. I will store my stacks in a mini muffin tin but not until they are completely cooled.

These stacks are obviously delicious right out of the oven (after cooling of course). But you can make them ahead as well. Here’s the guidelines for cooking and reheating:

  • Freeze them unbaked. To prepare, just defrost and bake in a 350 degree oven. Cover with foil as in the recipe and bake for 35 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Freeze them baked. To prepare, just defrost and reheat for 10 minutes or until warm in a 350 degree oven.
  • Refrigerated completely baked. To prepare, just reheat for 10 minutes or until warm in a 350 degree oven.

Serving

When ready to serve, plate a single Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stack with a sprig of fresh thyme. If you are serving many guests, then plate on a serving platter and top with thyme. Either way they are rich and delicious.

plates two stacks of Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks
Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks – ready to enjoy!

These products were used in the making of this recipe

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5 from 6 votes

Cheesy Thyme and Ham Potato Gratin Stacks

This is a delicious stack of yellow potatoes, layered with Gruyere cheese and Canadian Bacon, covered in a rich cream sauce and seasoned with fresh thyme
Course afternoon tea, Appetizer
Keyword cream sauce, gratin, potato, stacks, thyme
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 24 stacks

Ingredients

  • Oil spray
  • 3 lbs yellow or golden potatoes
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp crushed garlic
  • ¼ cup cream
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere Cheese can use other melting cheeses or combination
  • 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves removed from stems and chopped
  • 24 small thyme stems for embellishment
  • 6 slices Canadian Bacon finely chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • Spray standard muffin tin – use 2 – 12 cup or one 24 cup muffin tin. Do not use mini-muffin tins. The stacks exceed the height of a mini-muffin tin and will slide.
  • Slice potatoes using a Mandolin. Slice to ⅙ inch thickness.
  • Using a small 1½ inch cookie cutter, cut circles out of potato slices. Set aside. You will want to create stacks of 10 slices. The stack will be approximately 1¾-2 inches high. These will cook down. Set aside until assembly.

Prepare the cream sauce

  • Place butter and garlic in a microwave proof bowl. Melt in 30 second burst until completely melted.
  • Add cream, 1 tbsp of the chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper to butter and garlic. Stir to combine.

Assembling

  • Place 5 potato slices into the muffin tin. They will go approximately halfway up the tin.
  • Drizzle each potato stack with ½ tsp of cream mixture. Then sprinkle with fresh thyme
  • Sprinkle HALF the cheese, Canadian Bacon and chopped fresh thyme on the potato stack.
  • Top with remaining 5 slices and repeat cream, cheese, Canadian Bacon and thyme process.
  • Cover loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake for remaining 10 minutes. You will want to straighten up the stacks with a spoon.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Use a butter knife to go around stack to help remove
  • Once cool, you can transfer to a mini muffin tin for storage. Ensure the stacks are cool as the potatoes will slip.

Serving Instructions

  • If plating for single serving, place potato stack on plate and top with sprig of fresh thyme
  • If plating for group, place in serving platter and top with sprigs of fresh thyme

Notes

  1.  You will want to use a yellow or golden potato, like Yukon Gold.  You want the creaminess of these potatoes.
  2.  These can be made ahead and frozen unbaked or baked.  
  3.  If frozen unbaked – defrost before baking.  Bake at 350 degree covered with foil for 35 minutes, uncover for the remaining 10.
  4.  If frozen baked – defrost before baking and heat through in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
  5.  If just refrigerated, heat through for 10 minutes in 350 degree oven.
  • Take the leftover potatoes once the disks are cut out, bake in oven or top with remaining cream for potato casserole!
  • NOTE:  You can make larger serving sizes by increasing the size of the cookie cutter, like 2 inch or 3 inch.  This recipe outlines an appetizer or afternoon tea savory size.
This recipe was adapted from Cheesy Potato Gratin Stacks https://www.soune.me/2019/01/cheesy-mini-potato-gratin-stacks-muffin.html

Equipment

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