Cheesy Bacon Potato Stacks

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

9 slices thin bacon

2 pounds russet potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Butter, for greasing the tray

4 ounces Gruyere (or cheddar), finely grated

Chives (optional), for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Begin by cooking the bacon until crisp, then pat it dry with kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Dice each slice into 4 pieces (36 pieces in total, 3 pieces per stack).

Step 2

Peel the potatoes and slice off the top and bottom.

Step 3

Trim around the outside of the potatoes with a knife or peeler to form cylinders suitable to fit into a muffin tray.

Step 4

Slice the potatoes into rounds approximately 1/8 inch thick, resulting in 84 slices in total (7 slices per stack).

Step 5

In a pot over medium heat, pour in the cream and stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the potato slices and gently simmer for 3-4 minutes until the cream thickens, stirring the potatoes occasionally.

Step 6

Lightly grease a muffin tray with butter.

Step 7

Once the potatoes have cooled to a manageable temperature, place a slice in each muffin hole.

Step 8

Top with a small pinch of cheese, then add another potato slice. Layer bacon on top, followed by another potato slice. Repeat this process two more times to create 7 potato layers, alternating 3 layers of bacon and 3 layers of cheese, finishing with a potato slice on top.

Step 9

Drizzle a small amount of the remaining sauce over the stacks and loosely cover with foil.

Step 10

Bake the stacks for 40 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce through the potatoes. Remove the foil and, if needed, use two knives to realign the potatoes if they have shifted.

Step 11

Top each stack with cheese and place them under the broiler until the cheese turns golden and bubbly.

Step 12

Let the stacks sit for 5-10 minutes before carefully scooping them out with a spoon.

Step 13

Garnish with chives if desired.