Sweet Potato Stacks
Ready to switch things up from the usual sweet potato casserole? Try these sweet potato stacks! Thin slices of sweet potato are seasoned with garlic, thyme, and melty gouda cheese then baked in a muffin tin until the centers are tender and the edges get crispy. They're elegant enough for a holiday table but easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
This recipe is a variation of my Parmesan Potato Stacks that are made with russet potatoes. Both are great side dishes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Crispy + creamy: Each bite has golden, caramelized edges with a soft, buttery middle.
- Easy presentation: Thanks to the muffin tin, you get tidy little towers that look fancy with almost no effort.
- Versatile side dish: This is the kind of savory sweet potato side dish that works for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a weeknight dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Here's what you'll need to make these sweet potato stacks. Full recipe can be found below!
- Sweet potatoes - These root vegetables have a pretty orange flesh and a slightly sweet, earthy flavor. It's a quintessential fall ingredient.
- Butter - Using butter instead of oil makes this recipe more rich and helps the edges of the potato to caramelize (the best part).
- Brown sugar - Typically seen in a sweet potato casserole, brown sugar enhances the natural sweetness and deepens the caramelization.
- Spices - Salt, thyme and garlic season the potatoes. Try rosemary or sage for a fun swap.
- Gouda cheese - This cheese melts beautifully in between the layers of potato and acts like the delicious glue that holds these stacks together. Parmesan or gruyere could be substituted.
The Best Way to Slice Potatoes
Uniform slices are the secret to this layered sweet potato recipe, giving you those neat stacks with tender middles and crisp edges. When buying sweet potatoes, look for ones that are similar in size and that have a smaller diameter so they fit well in the muffin tin. Sometimes a petite variety is available.
Quick Tip: If you can't find smaller potatoes, trim the sides or half the sweet potatoes so they fit in the muffin tin. The look won't be exactly the same, but the taste will!
To slice the potatoes 1/16 inch thick, a tool called a mandolin is going to be your best friend. You will end up with perfectly even slices and it's often safer than a knife (as long as you use the guard!). This is one kitchen tool I think is definitely worth investing in. I use it all the time for slicing vegetables.
How To Make Sweet Potato Stacks
Step 1: Make the spice mixture - Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar and spices. Combining these before adding them to the potatoes allows you to better distribute the spices onto the sliced potatoes.
Step 2: Combine with potatoes - Add the butter mixture to a large bowl with the sliced sweet potatoes. Mix until the potatoes are well coated, then add the cheese. A pair of clean hands are the best tools for this, but a rubber spatula works too.
Step 3: Stack - Place "stacks" of potato in 12 greased muffin tins. Stack them about an inch taller than the top of the tin as the potatoes will shrink when cooking.
As you are stacking, work to evenly distribute the shredded cheese in between the layers as it can tend to clump together.
Step 4: Bake - Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the edges start to curl up. Thin potatoes will cook perfectly in this amount of time. If they are thicker, a longer cooking will be needed.
Serving Tips
Serve these sweet potato stacks as you would another potato side dish. They would elevate your Thanksgiving table (sorry sweet potato casserole) and present beautifully on a plate alongside proteins like turkey, ham, or my popular Pot Roast recipe.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Freeze fully cooled stacks on a parchment-lined sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Store up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Reheating: Oven or air fryer is best for crispy edges. 350°F for 20-25 minutes (oven) or 8-10 minutes (air fryer). Microwave works in a pinch, but edges won't crisp.
FAQ
Let them rest 5 minutes after baking. Run a sharp knife around the edges, then use a spoon to gently lift out.
You can make them up to 4 days ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. Reheat them on a baking sheet at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes to help the edges crisp up. An air fryer at 350 for 8-10 minutes also works well for this. Great for busy holiday prep!
Looking for an easy Thanksgiving potato side that a change from the norm? These stacks are make-ahead friendly and look stunning on any holiday table.
More Side Dish Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Stacks
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thoroughly grease a 12 muffin tin.
- In a small bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, salt, garlic and thyme.4 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. garlic, 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
- Put the sliced sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add butter mixture. Mix to coat thoroughly.2 pounds sweet potatoes
- Add cheese and mix until evenly distributed.1 ½ cup. gouda cheese
- "Stack" sliced potatoes in each muffin tin until the potatoes are about an inch taller than the tin (they shrink as they cook).
- Bake 30-35 minutes until potatoes are tender and top & sides are golden brown.
Notes
- Look for sweet potatoes on the small/medium size. If potatoes are too large, cut them to fit into muffin tins.
- A mandolin is your best friend for a recipe like this. It slices the potatoes thin and evenly.
- A pair of clean hands are the best tools for mixing the cheese throughout the potatoes. Separate the slices to evenly coat.
