Parmesan Potato Stacks
Side DishAppetizersFrench

Parmesan Potato Stacks

Recipe by AlexPrep: 25 minCook: 25 minTotal: 50 minServes 4Easy

Parmesan potato stacks are the party build: thin, even rounds — unrinsed, because the surface starch is the glue — tossed with salt, dried thyme, paprika, pepper, olive oil and half a cup of grated Parmesan, stacked into little towers on parchment and baked 25 minutes at 200 °C, then rested 5 minutes while the starch sets them crisp. A Paris restaurant was layering potatoes like this back in the 1870s — pommes Anna, one portion at a time. Serves 4.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Peel medium potatoes and slice into thin rounds of identical thickness — a mandoline makes it easy; uneven slices are what ruin these.

  2. 2

    Do not rinse — the cloudy starch on the surface is the glue for later.

  3. 3

    Season in the bowl: salt generously, add the thyme, paprika, pepper, pour the olive oil over and grate the Parmesan straight in; mix until every round is coated.

  4. 4

    Line a tray with parchment — melted Parmesan welds itself to bare metal — and build little towers a few slices high with a gap around each.

  5. 5

    Bake at 200 °C / 400 °F.

    25:00
  6. 6

    Meanwhile stir the sauce: sour cream, raw pressed garlic, fine dill, salt and pepper.

  7. 7

    Leave the stacks 5 more minutes on the tray — as they cool, the starch glue sets and they turn seriously crisp. Eat with your fingers.

    05:00

Watch the video

Play: Parmesan Potato Stacks

Notes from our kitchen

Everything hinges on two counterintuitive moves: the slices are NOT rinsed, because that cloudy surface starch is what welds the tower into one piece — and the stacks are not ready when they leave the oven, but five minutes later, when the glue sets and the edges go seriously crisp. Uniform slice thickness is the other law: one thick round in a stack means a burnt edge above it and raw potato below.

Variations

  • Muffin-tin stacks. Building the towers inside a greased muffin tin holds them perfectly vertical and gives every stack a matching golden skirt — a good option if free-standing towers lean on you. Same temperature, same timing, same parchment logic (paper liners).
  • What to serve with it. They are finger food by design — the sour-cream-garlic-dill sauce is the intended dip, and the raw garlic in it is deliberate, sharp enough to stand up to a hot, cheesy stack. As a plated side they flank roast chicken or steak the way gratin would.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not rinse the potato slices?

This is the rare potato recipe where the starch is wanted: the cloudy film on freshly cut slices acts as glue, baking the tower into one connected piece that you can pick up. Rinsed slices bake into loose, sliding coins.

What is the story behind the shape?

It is a single-portion take on pommes Anna — the 1870s Paris restaurant dish of thin potato slices layered and baked until they hold together like a cake. Same trick, downsized to towers you eat with your fingers.

Can I assemble the stacks ahead?

Yes — build the towers on their parchment tray a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge; the seasoning oil keeps the slices from browning. Bake straight from cold, adding a few extra minutes, and always give them their five-minute rest after.

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