Potato and Asiago Stack

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 g potatoes, mostly waxy
• 600 g floury potatoes
• 30 g butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp thyme, freshly chopped, alternatively lemon thyme or rosemary
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 120 g cheese (Asiago), freshly grated
• Sea salt, coarse, for sprinkling (optional, see notes

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

A delicious and elegant side dish, perfect for any holiday meal. A great alternative to potato gratin.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, warm the butter. When it’s melted, mix with the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Fold in the grated cheese, reserving some cheese for sprinkling. Peel all the potatoes, then slice them as thinly as possible (using a grater if necessary) and place them in a large bowl. When about half are sliced, pour half of the butter mixture over them. Add the remaining potato slices to the bowl and spread the remaining butter mixture over them. Carefully toss the potatoes in the butter mixture to ensure the slices are evenly coated. Be careful not to break the slices! You can also use your hands. Grease a muffin tin with olive oil or butter if it’s not non-stick. Layer the potato slices evenly in the muffin cups. Finally, sprinkle a little extra cheese over each stack. Bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes, until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Then lift the batter out of the muffin tins with a spoon, sprinkle with thyme, and serve immediately. I calculated about 2 stacks per person. Big eaters can manage more, of course. Notes: Asiago cheese is a hard cheese similar to Parmesan or Romano, but it has a unique flavor that goes fantastically well with this recipe. It is available in most supermarkets. Optional – for those who like it stronger and with a bit of crunch: sprinkle some coarse sea salt over the batters after they come out of the oven. The salt can also be omitted.