Cute little portions of crispy potato slices piled high. Potato stacks are a great alternative to traditional roast spuds. Let's face it; most people have room in their hearts (and bellies) for many variations of crunchy potato🥔
These roasted potato stacks pair wonderfully with slow-cooked meats, such as beef or lamb, steak or any roast meal.
We thinly slice unpeeled potatoes (a mandolin makes light work of this). We toss them in cheesy seasoning before layering in the holes of a muffin tray. The coated layers mean there is flavour all the way through, in every bite. We cook the potato stacks in a very hot oven for crazily crisp outsides with meltingly soft middles.
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🥘 Ingredients
Potatoes and some flavourings. Oil, salt, pepper, oregano and pecorino. The pecorino adds a touch of salty tang, rather than a marked cheesy texture or flavour. The oil, salt and pepper are important. You could stop there. Any addition flavourings are completely up to you.
🧀 What’s the difference between pecorino and parmesan?
Pecorino and Parmesan are both aged, salty hard cheeses. The main difference is that Pecorino is made with sheep's milk and Parmesan with cow's milk. Pecorino is much saltier. If you only have parmesan, use a little bit more to compensate for the fact parmesan is less salty. The general recommendation is a third more by weight.
🔪 Instructions
❓ Why use a muffin tray?
- makes tall supported stacks of potato
- provides lots of hot surface area for ultra-crisp bases and sides
- holds fat close to the potatoes during cooking - no need to baste
- creates perfect potato portions - although it may be hard to stop at one!
🤷♀️ I don't have a mandoline.....
You should get one 😉 Of course you can cut very thin slices with a sharp knife. It will take (an awful lot!) longer.
Please note that the potatoes are peeled in the photo. I have since tested these unpeeled, and they’re even tastier, prettier and more healthy 😉
As you slice the potatoes, you'll release a lot of gluey starch. This makes the slices tend to stick together. You can separate them as you transfer to the bowl of water to soak, like you're dealing cards. This is easier than trying to separate them in the water.
🤔 Why do I need to soak and then dry the potatoes?
Soaking the potatoes gets rid of the excess starch. This makes for drier/crispier potatoes. Wet is the enemy of crisp, so drying them after is important.
😵 I don't have a salad spinner
I only recently got one…and wonder how I managed without it! They're very handy. You can wash and rinse ingredients then spin dry, all in the same bowl. You'll need to do these potatoes in at least a couple of batches. If you don't have a salad spinner (yet!), dry the potato slices using paper towel or a clean tea towel.
🙏 Can I make one big galette instead?
Yes! You can use the same ingredients, oven temperature and cooking time. Instead of layering the potatoes in a muffin tray, use a 23cm-ish diameter oven-proof dish. If it’s got a lid, you can even skip the parchment and foil layer and clamp this on instead. Overlap the potato slices in layers. You’ll get around six layers. Press down on the covered potatoes a couple of times during cooking before you remove the foil. You can turn out the galette to serve in slices.
Love potatoes and all its forms? You might like to try -
Mashed Potatoes - buttery, comforting and versatile. A basic dish done right.
Roast Potatoes - very crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle perfection.
Twice-Baked Potatoes - BIG whole potatoes baked in their skins (or 'jackets'). We scoop out the insides, mix with butter and cheese and return to the oven to get a bit crispy.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 12-hole muffin tray (12 x 125ml (12x 125ml capacity)
- mandolin
- (useful, not essential) large salad spinner
Ingredients
- a little oil or butter
- 1.5 kg Sebago potatoes or other starchy potatoes (note)
- 45 g pecorino or 60g parmesan
- 4 teaspoons dried oregano
- teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 120 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat Oven - to 220°C
- Prepare Muffin Tray – generously grease the muffin tray holes with oil or butter. Oil sprays are handy for this purpose. Be sure to get right into the groove where the sides meet the basea little oil or butter
- Prep Potatoes - scrub the potatoes well. Leaving the potatoes unpeeled, use a mandolin to slice into the thinnest rounds (about 1mm). Transfer the slices to a large bowl of water to rinse off some of the starch. Change the water a few times until the water runs quite clear. Drain and use a salad spinner to gently spin the slices dry. You might need to do this is a couple of batches1.5 kg Sebago potatoes
- Prep Flavouring – finely grate the cheese. Add this to the potatoes along with the oregano, salt, pepper and oil. Combine everything thoroughly but gently, using a flexible spatula45 g pecorino4 teaspoons dried oreganoteaspoon saltfreshly ground black pepper120 ml olive oil
- Fill Muffin Tray – pile up the potato slices and divide between the holes of the muffin tray. It will seem like way too many potatoes (like double what you need), but go ahead and pile them high. They shrinks a lot as they cook
- Cover & Bake - cover with a layer of parchment paper. Lay a baking sheet or cooking rack over the top and press down evenly to compact the potatoes. Check under the paper and readjust the stacks if they've moved out of position. Then cover with a tight layer of foil. Cook for 50 minutes
- Uncover & Bake - remove the coverings and cook for another 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Check that potatoes are tender by inserting a skewer. It should pass right through from top to bottom without any resistance. If they’re browning too fast, re-cover with the foil
- Serve Promptly - run a spoon around the outside of each to loosen (so as not to scratch your muffin tray) . You can serve them straight from the muffin pan to keep them warm or arrange on a platter if you're feeling fancy 😉
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