Now this is my kind of comfort food. When I was a kid, my mom made it all the time. But, oddly, there aren’t a whole lot of recipes out there for this delish potato creation. Actually, it’s probably because it takes so damn long. But it’s so, so worth it! If, like me, you’re not much for the meat-eating but have kids who like ham, you can easily separate it out. Otherwise, you can leave the meat out all together and the recipe won’t suffer.
NOTE: It’s take about 20 minutes to prepare this dish, and an addition 1.5 hours to cook. Or, you can do what I do, and stick it in the crockpot on low for the day.
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
6 baking potatoes, peeled & sliced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cooked chopped ham (or one package Morrell ham)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 onion
Preheat the oven to 350.
Peel and slice the potatoes. You can use a food processor, but I think they're less starchy and gooey if you slice by hand.
First, the roux:
Melt the butter in a large & relatively deep saucepan over low heat. Using a whisk, stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or two.
Finish the sauce:
Turn the heat back to low, and slowly stir in the milk. Turn the heat back up to medium-low, and let the sauce cook until thick and bubbly.
Stir in the ham and onion. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Then, stir the sauce into the potatoes, and dump into a well-buttered pan.
Cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off, and bake for an additional hour. (About 10 minutes before you take it out, sprinkle the last 1/2 cup cheese over the top.)
Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy the yummy goodness!
