Holiday Ham and Potato Casserole
I'm showing you how to serve an amazing holiday meal to a crowd using only 1 pound of ham, which is one way to go if the budget is a little tight. Or, if you do end up serving a whole ham, this recipe is perfect for the leftovers.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 1 person
Ingredients
- ¼cup unsalted butter
- 1cup diced yellow onion
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- 2cups heavy cream
- 2cups whole milk
- 2teaspoons kosher salt, divided, or to taste
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 4½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 8ounces grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
- 1pound thinly sliced ham
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Step 2
Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, just to take off that starchy, raw edge, about 2 minutes. Pour in heavy cream and whisk to combine. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until it just starts to simmer and thicken up. Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Grate in nutmeg.Step 3
Turn off heat. Stir in Worcestershire and fresh thyme leaves. Reserve until needed.Step 4
Cover the bottom of a deep 10x15-inch casserole dish with about 25% of the reserved sauce. Add a layer of sliced potatoes, seasoning the tops with some of the remaining salt as desired; ladle over 1/3 of the sauce and sprinkle over 1/3 of the grated Cheddar cheese. Layer in ½ of the sliced ham.Step 5
Place another layer of sliced potatoes on top and season with salt. Ladle over ½ of the remaining sauce; repeat layering with Cheddar cheese and ham.Step 6
Place last layer of potatoes on top. Ladle over remaining sauce and spread out with a spatula. Sprinkle over remaining Cheddar cheese.Step 7
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until browned, bubbling, and potatoes are very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.