Cheesy Sweet Potato Stacks

I’m actually kind of speechless.

Except for the fact that I’m not.

Ohhhhh, you guys I’m this close to losing the last of my one and a half marbles over these cheesy stacks of splendor and I want to use all caps so bad but I’m trying to be better about it but we all know I’m forever a lost cause YOU HAVE GOT TO MAKE THIIIIIIIISSSSSSS.

And shoot, you don’t even have to make them for Thanksgiving. I won’t be mad atcha. You just have to make them at some point. And by some point I mean five minutes ago. But you can make them for Thanksgiving also. And probably tomorrow too. And tonight. And last week. And now. Til death do us part.

Let’s talk about what is happening here before I slip into a dangerous and awesome bubbly cheese and garlic memory coma.

We have thinly sliced sweet potatoes. Okay I used a mandolin. Do you have one? Add it to your Christmas list. It’ll make your life so stinkin’ beautiful you don’t even know.

So we have the potatoes, and we have shredded manchego cheese. Have you ever tried manchego? Add it to your grocery list. It’ll make your life so flippin’ dynomite you don’t even know.

We have the potatoes, the cheese, and the garlic/thyme/nutmeg infused cream. Have you ever infused cream with garlic and thyme and nutmeg? Add it to your bucket list. It’ll make your life so frickin’ sublime you don’t even know.

And it bakes. And bakes. And things happen inside the oven we wouldn’t understand. Things we couldn’t understand.

Things we shouldn’t understand. (name that movie)

I wasn’t prepared for this outcome in any way at all ever. I had no idea just how cheesy and melty and phenom dot com these little stacks were going to be. My eyeballs wanted to jump out of their sockets and bear hug every last little one.

But my mouth beat them to it.

Cheesy Sweet Potato Stacks:

(lightly adapted from Southern Living)

What it took for 8 stacks:

* 2 sweet potatoes, thinly sliced (with a mandolin)
* 2 cups shredded manchego cheese (or more if you need it)
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems
* 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly grated pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, garlic, thyme leaves, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Lightly coat 8 ramekins with cooking spray. Stack 6 slices of sweet potato in each ramekin, lightly sprinkling cheese between each potato slice. Top with cheese.

Drizzle about 2 Tbs. milk mixture over each ramekin.

Place ramekins on baking sheet and loosely tent with foil. Bake 45 minutes, covered.

Remove foil and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly, and the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Serve in ramekins OR remove and serve in cute little stacks. Garnish with more thyme!

*the two that you see at the top of this picture are cheeseless. they’re for my weird husband. do not look to him as role model. thank you. *

Just surrender.