Upgrade your side dish game with these Crispy Piri-Piri Potato Stacks! Thinly sliced russet and/or sweet potatoes are layered with buttery garlic, fresh thyme, piri-piri seasoning, and Parmesan cheese, then baked in extra-large muffin tins for perfectly crispy edges and tender centers.
These potato stacks are as stunning to look at as they are delicious to eat-perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- Butter
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme
- Piri-piri seasoning
- Coarse salt
- Russet or sweet potatoes
- Parmesan cheese
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease two 6-cup extra large muffin tins to accommodate the size of russet potato slices. Or regular muffin tins for smaller potatoes.
Slice the Potatoes
Peel the russet or sweet potatoes and use a mandolin to slice them thinly.
Soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes (or up to 24 hours if you want to prepare them in advance) to remove excess starch. Drain and dry thoroughly by laying them out a clean tea towel and patting them dry.
Prepare the Butter Mixture
Melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped thyme, piri-piri seasoning, and salt. Warm for 2-3 minutes to infuse the flavours into the butter, then remove from heat.
In a large bowl, toss the potato slices with the warm butter mixture until evenly coated.
Assemble the Stacks
Place a thyme sprig at the bottom of each muffin tin cup. Stack the potato slices in the muffin cups (smaller circles first). After every 4 slices, grate with Parmesan cheese. Repeat the process until the stacks reach the top (or slightly higher) of the muffin cups. The stacks will shrink.
Brush off any excess Parma that is on the tray, then wrap each tray tightly with foil.
Bake
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and raise the heat to 425°F, cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden and crispy, and the centers are tender. Lift a stack up to check how crispy the bottom is.
Serve
Let the stacks cool slightly before carefully removing them from the muffin tin. Serve warm with the thyme side up and enjoy!
FAQ
A: If you use russets: the soak step removes excess starch and the high-finish heat (425 °F) helps crisping the edges which is ideal for higher-starch potatoes.
If you were to use Yukon Golds instead: you'd get more moisture/creamy texture inside, but might need to watch crisping carefully (since Yukon Golds hold more moisture and may take slightly longer to crisp).
The layering with Parmesan cheese and butter means that irrespective of potato type, you'll get richness + crisp edges, which supports a "best of both worlds" texture.
Make in Advance
Want to get a head start? Here's how to prep these crispy stacks the day before:
1. Slice & soak the potatoes: Thinly slice the potatoes (about ⅛-inch thick), then place them in a large bowl of cold water. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This helps remove excess starch and prevents browning.
2. Prep the butter mixture: Follow the instructions to make the Piri-Piri butter mixture. Once infused and cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day: Drain and thoroughly dry the potato slices with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Let the butter mixture come to room temperature (or gently reheat it until spreadable), then proceed with stacking and baking as instructed in the main recipe.
Cooked on the Hestan Home Duel fuel range. Opinions in this post are my own.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Piri-Piri Potato Stacks
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 12 1-inch thyme sprigs
- 2 teaspoons piri-piri seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 pounds russet or sweet potatoes
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease two 6-cup extra large muffin tins to accommodate the size of russet potato slices. Or regular muffin tins for smaller potatoes.
Slice the Potatoes
- Peel the russet or sweet potatoes and use a mandolin to slice them thinly. Soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes (or up to 24 hours if you want to prepare them in advance) to remove excess starch. Drain and dry thoroughly by laying them out a clean tea towel and patting them dry.
Prepare the Butter Mixture
- Melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped thyme, piri-piri seasoning, and salt. Warm for 2-3 minutes to infuse the flavours into the butter, then remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, toss the potato slices with the warm butter mixture until evenly coated.
Assemble the Stacks
- Place a thyme sprig at the bottom of each muffin tin cup. Stack the potato slices in the muffin cups (smaller circles first). After every 4 slices, grate with Parmesan cheese. Repeat the process until the stacks reach the top (or slightly higher) of the muffin cups. The stacks will shrink.
- Brush off any excessParma that is on the tray, then wrap each tray tightly with foil.
Bake
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and raise the heat to 425°F, cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden and crispy, and the centers are tender. Lift a stack upto check how crispy the bottom is.
Serve
- Let the stacks cool slightly before carefully removing them from the muffin tin. Serve warm, with the thyme side up, and enjoy!
💬We'd really appreciate your feedback!
- Please take a moment to rate and review this recipe below. Your thoughts help others, and it would really make our day! Thank you - James & Elaine!
This is a wonderful recipe which is going to be a staple in my house. I typically make potato au gratin but this is the better recipe in my opinion, where the result is crispy layers of delicious potato slices.
Thank you for sharing the recipe with me which I first saw on IG.
Hi Meg,
Thank you so much for the kind words! We’re thrilled to hear this recipe will become a staple in your home. That crispy, layered texture really does take these potato stacks to the next level. We are so glad you discovered it on Instagram and gave it a try!❤️
Hope you are having a great weekend!
Elaine & James