Baked Cheesy Potato Bites (with Bacon)

I will never say that bacon makes everything better but in this recipe it does add a bit of crunch to the rich creaminess of this easy side-dish. The following Instructable will take you about 90 minutes from start to finish (only 10-15 where you have to work) and leave you with 12 servings of these baked, cheesy, potato bites (with bacon).

Let's get started!

You will need the following to make 12 servings of Baked, Cheesy Potato Bites:

• 1kg (2lbs) of peeled potatoes
• 350ml (1 1/2c) whole milk or half and half
• 1/2tsp ground black pepper
• 2g (~1tsp) onion powder
• 4g (~2tsp) garlic powder
• 0.5g (~1/4tsp) nutmeg
• 4g (~2tsp) thyme
• 2g (~1tsp) salt
• 50g (1/2c) grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
• 50g (1/2c) grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 slices of fried and crumbled bacon (leave out or substitute to make the recipe vegetarian)
  
  You will also need 2 muffin trays, a sharp knife, aluminum foil, mixing bowl(s), a fork or whisk and an oven. Having a mandoline will be incredibly useful (but is not absolutely necessary).

- Add the ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, thyme, salt, and grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese to your whole milk or half-and-half.

- Thoroughly mix with a fork or small whisk.

- Peel your potatoes and slice them thinly. This is where your mandoline will save you a lot of time, if you have one, but if not then just use your knife.

- Immediately move on to the next step to prevent your potatoes from browning (oxidizing).

- Pour the dairy, herb and spice mixture over the potatoes that you just sliced.

- Use your hands to toss the potatoes in the liquid, making sure that everything is thoroughly coated.

- Grease your muffin trays.

- Evenly split your potatoes (and cream mixture) among the cups of your muffin trays in order to create 12 stacks.

- Cover each muffin tray with foil and bake for about 40 minutes or until the stacks are tender.

- For the second bake of your cheesy potato bites you will need to uncover your muffin trays.

- Spread the grated Gruyère and crumbled bacon over each stack.

- Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sides are beginning to turn golden-brown.

- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the stacks from the muffin trays.

Now your creamy, cheesy, salty, smoky, bacon-y potato bite is ready to eat. Pop as many as you need out of the muffin tray and place them on your plate.

Enjoy!