Last week I was brainstorming ideas for holiday dishes, and I kept envisioning layers of potato, cheese, and asparagus. A casserole, of sorts. Now, I love a good plant-based casserole, but honestly I rarely make those sorts of dishes. Since posting a casserole would be a bit out of character for me, I came up with something a little lighter, and, dare I say, cuter.
I mean, nothing says springtime quite like a flower cup made of potatoes, filled with creamy vegan cheese sauce and asparagus, am I right? I can’t stand how cute these are, and I bet your guests won’t either. That is, until they try one, and then all those dainty oohs and ahhs will turn into side glances and furtive scrambling to get the last one on the platter before Aunt Beatrice does.
These little potato tulips are like a single serving potato au gratin casserole in an edible cup, with garnish of asparagus to really give that springtime flair. Once you’ve got your cheese sauce blended up, these are actually quite easy to assemble, and are baked in a regular sized muffin tin, until the potato slices are browned and crispy.
Stand apart from the casseroles, and impress your guests, with these cheesy little potato blossoms.
Cheesy Potato Asparagus Blossoms
Inspired by this recipe
Makes 12
Ingredients:
- 1 batch of my favorite cheese sauce, minus the chili powder, cayenne, and cumin (or you can use this one) see notes for nut free substitutions
- 1 large organic russet potato, scrubbed and sliced as thin as possible (I used a mandolin)
- 1 very small yellow onion, sliced thin
- 10 stalks of asparagus, washed trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
- sea salt
- optional: 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese, I like Daiya Farmhouse Block
- A little oil to grease the muffin tin
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the potato slices over a cutting board and lightly salt them with sea salt. Oil your muffin tin, and arrange the slices around each well. I did this a few different ways. For some, I placed whole slices around the edge and then pressed one in the middle. For others I pressed one whole slice in the bottom and then cut the remaining slices in half and arranged those along the sides. Play around with it and see what you like the best.
2. Spoon in a tablespoon or so of the cheese sauce. Then add a slice of onion, another thin layer of sauce, and then another potato slice, and another little dollop of sauce…for a layered effect. Alternatively you can simply dollop in 2 tbsp of sauce and add a slice of onion. Add a sprinkle of vegan cheese shreds, if using. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, take out of the oven and add a 4-5 pieces of asparagus, and other little sprinkle of cheese shreds, if desired. Return to oven and bake another 15 minutes, checking after 10. Remove when potatoes are lightly browned and crispy. Let sit for 5 minutes. Carefully use a fork to loosen the edges and gently scoop the cups out of the tray. They’re a little fragile, but I’ve made 3 batches and most of them stayed together fine, I only had one or two fall apart on me.
Notes: For a nut free homemade vegan cheese sauce, try Anja’s or Susan’s . These use cauliflower as base, and are both delicious!
Feed Your Beauty 
These are SO beautiful! And such a great idea!
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Aw thanks so much Jasmine! 🙂
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Hi Larice,
What are the chances that I could make these the night before and warm them up the day of?
Lori
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Hi Lori! I think that might work. I’m going to re-bake a bunch tonight that I made the other day so I will let you know for sure, but I would think you could. Maybe at a lower temp so they don’t burn, or maybe when you make them initially, don’t let them get too browned so you can allow them to fully brown the next day when you reheat them. I’m excited for you to try them! 🙂
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I think they will be a big hit at my Easter Dinner. I have a couple of “foodie” people coming and I think they will be blown away. I’m going to make the Brussels sprouts too! Let me know how they turn out!
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Aw that is so cool!! I’m so excited! Wanted to report that the reheating worked perfectly, even on my already fully browned potatoes. I just lowered the heat to about 350, and baked for about 10-15 min or so, I just kept checking until they were hot. Hope everyone loves them! You’ll have to let me know how it goes 🙂
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Yay! I’m going to give it a whirl and I’ll let you know how it goes!
Lori
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What a gorgeous recipe Larice! Love it. 🙂
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Thanks so much and I appreciate you checking it out! 🙂 hope you’re doing well!
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These potato tulips just too cute! They look delicious and it’s another great recipe that could give rise to more delicious possibilities. We can’t wait to try them. Do you think they could hold a thicker, tomato-base sauce? 🙂
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Aw thank you guys! So many possibilities!! I think maybe a tomato sauce would work, although the cheese sauce gets thick as it cooks and sort of glues it together. It would be interesting to try and I’d love to know how it works if you do!
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It’s our pleasure! We were thinking some cheesy (because your recipe sounds delicious!) and some maybe with a separate tomato-based idea? Who knows; best to do some brainstorming first though, or we’ll never get out of the kitchen! We most certainly will. 🙂
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Sounds great! Hope you love them!! 🙂
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This is so creative Larice!
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Thank you so much Rashmi!
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If that’s a good idea, thank you.
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