SCALLOPED POTATOES!
Ham-n-Cheesy Scalloped 'Taters
Preheat oven to 375
My favorite, super easy, leftover recipe is a Mom-inspired dish and a staple from my youth. We always had a s**ton of leftover ham from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, Ma' made the baked pork and beans; and that creamy spiral pasta salad with the ham and mayo; And lets not forget the split pea soup! But I think the family's favorite leftover ham dish was--drum roll please-- Scalloped Potatoes! This Thanksgiving, with my own family, I find that we, too, have an s***ton of leftover ham... and cheese. So, I have decided to take two of my favorites, mom's scalloped potatoes and potatoes au' gratin (which is French-talk for anything that is grated- like bread crumbs or cheese) and combine them! Why? Because I can. And like Mom always said, "you should do whatever blows your skirt up."
Prep Time: 20minutes
Bake time: 60min
Serves: 4-6
Preheat oven to 375
5 or 6 small- medium sized potatoes. (I prefer red potatoes because you don't have to skin them and they look pretty...but you can use whatever taters you want, provided that you skin them, first. Unless I am coming over for dinner. In which case, please use red potatoes, un-skinned.)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup roughly chopped leftover ham
3 strips of uncooked bacon, chopped
2 cups of your favorite cheese (I used sharp cheddar and Asiago) **Reserve enough cheese to sprinkle on top at the end.
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 cup of stock (veggie or chicken or my favorite Penzey's soup base)
1tablespoon flour
Freshly cracked pepper
Wash and slice your potatoes and lay them in a pre-sprayed 6x9" casserole dish and mix with half of the ham.
On the stove: In a medium sauce pot, on med-high heat, add your bacon and ham bits. Fry them up until crispy and remove from the drippings. Place on a paper towel and set them aside for later. Do not drain the fat... we're going to use that for the roux! Roux? Cindy Lou Roux, that's who! (God, I'm a dork) Next, drop the temp to medium and add your onions. Let those cook until translucent and then add 'your flour. Combine the flour, fat and onions until well incorporated. Finally, add your stock, cream, cheeses and pepper. Let that cook until thick and creamy (gravy like consistency) for 5- 7 minutes and pour over your potatoes.
Let that bake, covered, in the oven for 55min. The final 5 minutes should be used in the broiler, after you topped the now bubbling potatoey goodness with your remaining cheese and bacon/ham bits. Nom, nom, nom...
Resist the urge to dig in and let that bake in the broiler, uncovered, until golden (5 minutes or so). Let it cool for 15- 20 minutes before you eat it (because it will burn in your mouth like hell fire, if you don't) and VOILA! Here you have the easiest most delicious au gratin/scalloped-leftover-killer-duo EVER! Okay... maybe not ever. But it's super tasty and I'm pretty sure it would do Mom proud!
You can enjoy your dish with whatever veggie ya like. I went with steamed peas and sangria. Sangria is a veggie, right?
Enjoy!
3 strips of uncooked bacon, chopped
2 cups of your favorite cheese (I used sharp cheddar and Asiago) **Reserve enough cheese to sprinkle on top at the end.
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 cup of stock (veggie or chicken or my favorite Penzey's soup base)
1tablespoon flour
Freshly cracked pepper
Wash and slice your potatoes and lay them in a pre-sprayed 6x9" casserole dish and mix with half of the ham.
On the stove: In a medium sauce pot, on med-high heat, add your bacon and ham bits. Fry them up until crispy and remove from the drippings. Place on a paper towel and set them aside for later. Do not drain the fat... we're going to use that for the roux! Roux? Cindy Lou Roux, that's who! (God, I'm a dork) Next, drop the temp to medium and add your onions. Let those cook until translucent and then add 'your flour. Combine the flour, fat and onions until well incorporated. Finally, add your stock, cream, cheeses and pepper. Let that cook until thick and creamy (gravy like consistency) for 5- 7 minutes and pour over your potatoes.
Resist the urge to dig in and let that bake in the broiler, uncovered, until golden (5 minutes or so). Let it cool for 15- 20 minutes before you eat it (because it will burn in your mouth like hell fire, if you don't) and VOILA! Here you have the easiest most delicious au gratin/scalloped-leftover-killer-duo EVER! Okay... maybe not ever. But it's super tasty and I'm pretty sure it would do Mom proud!
You can enjoy your dish with whatever veggie ya like. I went with steamed peas and sangria. Sangria is a veggie, right?
Enjoy!
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