Scalloped Ham and Potatoes

This is one of the guys favorite after-the-holidays meal. Meat and potatoes. Plain and simple. It’s as old fashioned as they come. However, with all the food exploration I put the family through it is important to keep the old favorite comfort foods in the rotation.

I cannot stress enough that the quality of the ham you start with will directly affect the flavor of this soup. I prefer a double smoked ham, the flavor is so deep. Regarding cheese, I always use a sharp cheddar, I love cheddar! You can use pretty much any cheese you want, simply remember that the ham and cheese are what is providing the majority of the flavor. So use good stuff!

I’ve made this a lot. Sometimes I add corn, peas, or even broccoli into the dish when layering in the ham to add a pop of color, depending on what additional leftovers I have on hand.

Ingredients:

4-6 russet potatoes, sliced thinly

3 C Cooked ham, diced

2 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 onion, small, finely diced

4 C Milk

4 Tbsp Butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp Parsley

Black pepper to taste

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish.

Slice potatoes and set aside.

Dice ham and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter.

Saute onion, pepper, and parsley.

Whisk in flour quickly, then continuing to whisk, slowly pour in milk.

Continuing to whisk regularly, heat milk mixture to a boil. (sauce will thicken)

Assemble dish as follows…thin layer of potatoes, 1 cup ham sprinkled overtop, ½ c cheddar cheese sprinkled overtop, then 1/3 milk mixture. Repeat 3 times.

Cover and bake for 1 hour 40 minutes, then uncover and bake and additional 15-20 until top is browned.

(for a bit softer potatoes add 10 minutes uncovered)