- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Get My 10 Holiday Sides with Serious Swagger
- Step-by-step Instructions
- Knife or mandoline? Your call!
- The secret to stacks that pop right out
- It saves SO much time!
- Oops! What did I do wrong?
- Crispy Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potato Stacks with Hot Honey Drizzle
- What to serve with sweet potato stacks
- More Thanksgiving side dish recipes
Sweet potato stacks worthy of the holiday table 😍
If you also firmly believe a holiday dinner isn’t complete without one, two, maybe even THREE sweet potato dishes, then you’re in good company.
I’ll always have a soft spot for a classic sweet potato casserole (and my Melting Sweet Potatoes!), but this year I’m SO excited to bring something totally different to the table. These garlic parmesan sweet potato stacks are crispy on the outside with soft, pillowy middles and enough flavor to keep your taste buds guessing.
Tbh… I almost gave up on these. Round 1 burned on the bottom, stuck to my muffin tin, and honestly just tasted like charred potatoes.
Round 2 fixed the technique but went a little crazy with the flavors (Dijon, honey, AND Parm was a bit much for a sweet potato!). Round 3 got SO close, and round 4? Chef’s kiss.
Every bite has that trifecta of sweet, salty, and a little heat, and they look absolutely stunning on the table.
What else 4 rounds of testing revealed:
- Save most of the butter, plus the garlic and hot honey, for the last 12-15 minutes so nothing burns (and you can skip the foil entirely!).
- A ceramic muffin tin that’s very well sprayed lets the stacks pop right out.
- Even slices matter more than the tool, and a sharp knife was just as fast as a mandoline.
- Unpeeled stacks get a little extra crunch, but I like to do half and half.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Sweet potatoes: Look for narrow sweet potatoes, about 2 inches across (roughly ½ to ¾ pound each), so the slices fit right into the muffin cups. You can choose to peel or leave them unpeeled. (Leaving the skins on gives them a little extra crunch- and saves you a step!)
- Olive oil: Avocado oil or any neutral oil works the same way.
- Salted butter: If you only have unsalted, add an extra pinch of salt to the oil mixture.
- Fresh thyme: Fresh is worth it here, since dried thyme got a little lost against the Parm when I tested it. If dried is all you have, use about 2 teaspoons.
- Parmesan cheese: I use the freshly grated Parmesan in a tub from my grocery store, but grating your own from a block works too. Pecorino Romano also works, just go a little lighter on the salt.
- Garlic: I use my garlic press so the garlic is super fine and mixes evenly into the butter.
- Hot honey: I used Mike’s Hot Honey, or you can make your own with my homemade hot honey.
- Lemon: I zest it with my Microplane so it’s really fine and blends right into the butter. You only need the zest, so save the juice for something else.
Get My 10 Holiday Sides with Serious Swagger
Tasty twists on classics that will get the WHOLE table talking!
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Slice the sweet potatoes
Trim the pointy tips off each end, then slice the sweet potatoes into thin, even rounds. Keeping the slices about the same thickness helps every stack cook through at the same time.
Knife or mandoline? Your call!
I tested both, and honestly a really sharp knife was just as fast as my mandoline.
If you want every slice the exact same thickness without thinking about it, though, the mandoline takes out the guesswork (just use the hand guard!).
Toss with the oil and Parm
Whisk the oil, a little of the melted butter, and the seasonings together, then toss the slices with your hands until they’re all coated. Add the first half of the Parm and give everything another toss.
Stack and bake
Pile the slices into the muffin tin, filling each cup to just above the rim (they shrink a lot as they bake!). Save the smaller slices for the tops, then bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
The secret to stacks that pop right out
A ceramic muffin tin that’s VERY well sprayed is what finally fixed my sticking problem.
The stacks came out golden on the bottom (not burnt!) and lifted right out with a knife.
Make the honey garlic butter
While the stacks bake, stir the garlic, a spoonful of the hot honey, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes into the rest of the melted butter.
Pro Tip: Holding most of the butter, plus the garlic and honey, until the last 12-15 minutes keeps them from burning in the bottom of the cups. That’s also why you can skip the foil completely.
It saves SO much time!
Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!
It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.
Spoon on the butter and Parm
Spoon the honey garlic butter over each stack, then sprinkle the rest of the Parm on top. Back in the oven they go until the tops are golden and the edges are crispy.
Drizzle and serve
Let the stacks cool in the pan for a few minutes, then run a knife around each cup and lift them out. Finish with a drizzle of hot honey and a little extra thyme right before serving.
Oops! What did I do wrong?
The bottoms are browning too fast.
Slide a baking sheet onto the rack right under the muffin tin to shield the bottoms, and start checking a few minutes early. Dark metal tins brown much faster, so keep an eye on them if that’s what you’re using.
The tops are golden, but the centers are still firm.
Loosely lay a piece of foil over the top and keep baking until a knife slides right through the center. Next time, keep the slices thin and even so everything cooks at the same rate.
My stacks are stuck in the pan.
Let them rest for a few minutes, then run a thin knife all the way around each cup and lift from underneath with a spoon. Next time, spray the tin really well (a ceramic tin helps a TON!).
My stacks tipped over.
Nudge them back upright with a spoon while they’re still hot, and nobody will ever know. Next time, keep the stacks even and save the smaller slices for the tops.
They’re a little too spicy.
Finish them with regular honey instead of hot honey to calm things down. Next time, leave out the red pepper flakes.
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Crispy Garlic Parmesan Sweet Potato Stacks with Hot Honey Drizzle
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Ingredients
- 2-2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes 4 medium, narrow ones, scrubbed or peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons salted butter melted and divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves plus more for serving
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons hot honey divided
- 1 lemon zested
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Generously spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.nonstick cooking spray
- Trim about ½ inch from each end of the sweet potatoes to remove the pointed tips, then slice into ⅛-inch-thick rounds using either a mandoline or a sharp knife.2-2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the butter, salt, black pepper, and thyme until well combined. Add the sweet potato slices and toss with your hands until well coated. Add ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese and toss again.2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons salted butter, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Stack the slices into the muffin cups, filling them to just above the rim. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the hot honey, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes (if using) into the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.3 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons hot honey, 1 lemon, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons salted butter
- Spoon the garlic honey butter over the stacks then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the stacks, about 1 teaspoon each. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are golden, the edges are crispy, and a knife slides through the center easily.½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then run a knife around each cup and lift the stacks out. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons hot honey and sprinkle with additional thyme, if desired. Serve immediately.3 tablespoons hot honey, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with sweet potato stacks
On a holiday table, I love pairing these with sides that stay out of the oven, like Southern Collard Greens with Bacon or Sautéed Green Beans. That way the stacks get the oven all to themselves at 400°F (the host in me LOVES this).
A Chopped Kale Salad with Cranberries brings something fresh and crunchy to all that butter and Parm.
For a weeknight, they’re great next to Pork Chops with Apples and Onions or Blackened Salmon, since both cook on the stovetop while the stacks bake.
Or go steakhouse-style with Garlic Butter Steak Bites and a Lemon Arugula Salad. And for a Sunday dinner, Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin feels special enough to match.
More Thanksgiving side dish recipes
Sides are hands down my favorite part of Thanksgiving, so here are a few more that deserve a spot on your table.
