A simple, elegant side dish with just 4 ingredients: little towers of potato that come out golden and crisp at the edges, with a tender, creamy centre. Perfect next to meat, chicken, or fish.
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes; 120 g grated Gruyère or cheddar; 150 ml cooking cream; 40 g butter; salt and black pepper to taste.
Method
Heat the oven to 190°C and lightly grease a muffin tin with part of the butter. Peel the potatoes and slice them very thinly, about 2–3 mm — a mandoline gives the most even slices. Melt the remaining butter and mix it with the cream, adding a pinch of salt and pepper. Build the stacks: place a potato slice in each muffin cup, add a little cheese and a few drops of the cream and butter mixture, and repeat the layers until you have little towers, finishing with cheese on top. Cover the tin with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the tops are golden and crisp. Rest the stacks for 5–10 minutes before unmoulding so they keep their shape. Unmould carefully and serve immediately as a side for meat, chicken, or fish.
Tips
The thinner and more even the potato slices, the more tender the stacks; swap the Gruyère for Parmesan, Emmental, or cheddar to vary the flavour.
