Sweet Potato and Gruyere Stacks

I very quickly tire of the tried and true.  Why else would I be pushing myself to try 100 new recipes every year?  Don't get me wrong...I love traditions.  And I absolutely adore sweet potatoes.  But I can only tolerate them slathered in brown sugar and marshmallows for a very, very limited time.  I've tried them scalloped, which was a nice change of pace. But this preparation truly steals the cake.

My mind in now a-whirling about other spuds to apply this to.

The key to a less stress mess is to find sweet potatoes no larger in diameter than the width of the cups of your muffin tin. Trust me...skip the bigger tubers.

Adapted from Southern Living

yields 12 stacks

The Ingredients:
3 small sweet potatoes, about 2-2 1/2 inches in diameter
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, divided
2/3 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2  tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 


The Process:
Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly oil a 12 count muffin tin


Peel and thinly slice the sweet potatoes.  Starting with the smallest slices and working up in diameter, layer the sweet potato slices about halfway up the muffin cups.  Sprinkle each stack evenly with the thyme and Gruyere.  Continue to fill the muffin cups with the remaining potato.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream.  Whisk in the garlic, salt and pepper.  Simmer briefly.  Remove from heat and spoon about 1 Tbsp over each sweet potato stack.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Run a knife around the outside of each cup, and carefully lift and transfer each stack to a serving platter.  Garnish with a sprinkle of thyme.