Mini Potato Dauphinoise Muffins

Serves	8 to 12 depending on size of tin
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	French
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

Exactly as the title says, these are cooked in a muffin or Yorkshire pudding tin and they are a brilliant way to use up leftover potatoes; they are so good that it's worth baking or boiling up some potatoes specially, they also freeze beautifully. Perfect for a festive meal, as you can prepare them beforehand, ready to cook on the day.

Ingredients

6 large cooked potatoes, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
150ml creme fraiche (or sour cream)
100g grated Gruyere cheese
50g butter
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Note

Directions

Step 1	You will need a deep 12 hole Muffin tin or 2 X 4 hole Yorkshire pudding tins.
Step 2	Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F or Gas Mark 6.
Step 3	Using 25g of the butter, grease the muffin or Yorkshire pudding tins well. You can line the base with greaseproof baking paper for ease of removal if you wish.
Step 4	Arrange the potatoes in the tins in layers - seasoning every other layer or so with the crushed garlic, salt & pepper to taste. Carry on until all the potatoes are used up.
Step 5	Stir the creme fraiche with a balloon whisk thin it down a bit - and then pour it over the top of each mini potato gratin, adding more, until it is all used.
Step 6	Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and then top each potato muffin with flecks of the remaining butter.
Step 7	Grate some nutmeg on top and bake in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes; it depends on which tin you are using - a muffin tin will take less time to bake than a Yorkshire Pudding tin as the holes are smaller.
Step 8	Serve with all types of daubes, casseroles, stews, roast dinners OR as a light lunch with crisp green salad & crusty French bread.
Step 9	To freeze: Freeze in the tin after assembling them and when frozen, remove and place into zip-lock bags or plastic containers. (It is best to line the base with greaseproof paper if you intend to freeze them - they are easier to remove from the tin)
Step 10	Defrost and bake on a large greased and/or lined baking tray - the same temperature as before; or place into muffin/Yorkshire pudding tins to help keep their shape.