Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Ah, the humble potato. A difficult vegetable for me. I don't hate them, but I don't love them either. Alone they seem bland and rather boring. They need a little dressing up. Something flavorful and rich. Enter chicken broth, cream and cheese. And ham. My husband requires ham.

We had friends over for dinner last night. Our kids are about the same age and they only live a few blocks away. They are one of those families that are easy to have over. Conversation flows, the kids play and the moms fuss over the babies.

I heard that scalloped potatoes were a favorite of the husband and so I bought a five-pound bag of potatoes, dug the ham out of my freezer and started peeling. A whole pile of peelings and a sprinkle of ham later and I had two bubbling pans of scalloped potatoes in the oven.

Our friends arrived, we gathered around the long farmhouse table and dug in. We talked in between mouthfuls, cajoling our two-year-olds to take "one more bite" and finished the meal with chocolate-covered strawberries and coffee for the coffee-lovers.

Good food. Good friends. Great night.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Serves 4 

Total Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

2 T. butter

2 T. onion, minced

1 1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups ham, cut into bite-sized chunks

It's important to get the right amount of potatoes to liquid, so I always weigh the potatoes to get the right amount. You want 2 1/2 pounds. Peel and slice potatoes.

It's also important, really important, to get all the potatoes sliced the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. I use a mandolin slicer on the thin setting. It's so much quicker and then I know my slices are even. 

Melt butter in large pot. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. 

Add salt and pepper. 

Add potatoes, broth and cream to the pot and bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are almost tender, 10 - 12 minutes. 

You should be able to poke them with a fork without much resistance, but you don't want them cooked to the point where the potatoes are falling apart. 

Stir in the ham chunks.

I often cut my leftover ham into small chunks and toss them in the freezer to be ready for this meal. If using frozen ham, add the ham halfway through cooking the potatoes, around the 5 minute mark. Otherwise, add the ham at the end. 

Transfer to an 8 x 8 pan or 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until cream is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Cool 10 minutes before serving. 

Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated magazine.