Sweet Potato Stacks with Butter and Thyme require just a few ingredients and a muffin tin. The individual stacks make serving this holiday side dish a breeze at your Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration.
There’s no denying it, once the air turns crisp and cool, it’s time to bake sweet potatoes! And there’s always a place for them on the holiday table. Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes have a magic all their own, but when I want a bit savory simplicity, I make Sweet Potato Stacks with Butter and Thyme. On a holiday plate that can, let’s face it, feel like it’s full of similarly soft textures, sweet potato stacks offer a crisp-tender counterpoint.
Thinly slicing the sweet potatoes and baking them in a muffin tin guarantees they hold their pretty shape and means every bite of this elegant holiday side dish is just a little crispy on the outside, while soft and buttery inside. Your guests will love all the layers of butter, garlic, and thyme within each stack.
You can’t go wrong with these sweet potato stacks at your next holiday meal.
CAN I SUBSTITUTE YAMS FOR SWEET POTATOES?
While the words ‘yam’ and ‘sweet potato’ are often used interchangeably, they’re actually completely different root vegetables. When cooked, sweet potatoes have a creamier inside than yams, which are starchier, and have thicker skins.
For this recipe, it’s best to stick with sweet potatoes.
HOW TO REHEAT SWEET POTATO STACKS
If you have leftover Sweet Potato Stacks, they will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, place the stacks back in the muffin tin, or use a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F / 200°C. Because the sweet potato stacks have already been cooked, they should maintain their shape on the baking sheet.
HOW TO SERVE SWEET POTATO STACKS
The holidays are a great time to serve Sweet Potato Stacks. The neatly stacked, individual sized portions are a charming addition to any special occasion meal. Sweet potatoes naturally go great with just about every meat protein, so you can’t go wrong serving them alongside your centerpiece holiday dishes like roasted turkey or baked ham.
INGREDIENTS
- Sweet Potato - Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables out there. They can be made into desserts (hello, Sweet Potato Pie!), or turned into savory side dishes. For this recipe, choose narrow sweet potatoes that have a diameter that will fit inside the spaces of a muffin tin.
- Thyme - Thyme’s earthy flavor enhances the savory qualities in sweet potatoes.
- Butter - Using unsalted butter makes it easier to control the seasoning of your potatoes. You could use salted butter in a pinch, but you may not need to add additional salt later.
- Garlic - Grate the garlic for this recipe which creates smaller pieces than chopping and ensures you’ll have some in every bite.
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS
- Try different potatoes - My recipe for sweet potato stacks was inspired by this Herbed Potato Stacks Recipe. With a few variations, and a switch to Russet Potatoes, you’ve got another elegant holiday side dish option.
- Top with cheese - Experiment with cheesy baked sweet potato stacks by adding Gruyere cheese in the middle, or sprinkle Parmesan on top.
- Add different herbs and spices - Try adding rosemary, oregano, or tarragon for additional aromatics. For a little spice, add red pepper flakes.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Hash
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Skillet Chicken Pasta with Sweet Potato and Crispy Sage
- Sweet Potato Soup with Miso
- Sweet Potato Tacos with Avocado Crema and Goat Cheese
- Slow Cooker Turkey, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Chili
FAVORITE TOOLS
Sweet Potato Stacks with Butter and Thyme
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
- Mandolin or Sharp Knife
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Sweet Potatoes (see note)
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic, grated
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves, plus a few more for sprinkling over top
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
- Spray a 12-space regular-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with cooking oil. Set aside.
- Melt butter in the microwave or on the stovetop. Whisk in grated garlic. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Use a mandolin or very sharp knife to thinly slice the sweet potatoes. You can peel them first if you like, though it's not necessary. Aim for slices that are 1/16-inch thickness.
- Place sweet potato slices in a large mixing bowl and pour butter over top. Add thyme leaves, salt, and black pepper.
- Gently stir everything together, making sure that a small amount of butter gets between most of the slices.
- Stack the sweet potato slices up in the prepared muffin tin, filling each section all the way up to the top or slightly higher.
- Bake, uncovered, until sweet potatoes are golden brown on top and very tender, 30 to 40 minutes (this will vary depending on the thickness of the sweet potato slices).
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven. If any of the sweet potato stacks have tipped over, use a spoon to gently nudge them back into place. Allow stacks to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.
- Serve warm.
Mary Miller
For make ahead, would I be able to bake these in cupcake papers? Then, reheating may be easier?
Jess Smith
I haven't tried it, but it's such a great idea! I think it should work fine as long as the cupcake papers are approved to bake at a temp of 400 degrees (which I think most are)!
Dwc
I just made your sweet potato stacks and they came out great and were delicious! I added rosemary because there was very little thyme left in my garden and also mixed in some Parmesan cheese. I will be definitely be making these again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Jess Smith
Delicious additions!! Thank you so much for your comment!
Robyn W
Can you freeze these ?
And then just defrost and reheat?
Jess Smith
Yes - absolutely! Make sure that you fully defrost them in the fridge and then follow the instructions in the post to reheat them.