Creamy Cheesy Goodness

I have to tell you that I LOVE scalloped potatoes and ham. It's almost my favorite dish. We had some leftover ham from the beginning of the week (when Joseph decided to cook a 7 pound ham for just the two of us because he was craving ham) so I needed to use it somehow. I've already made a bean soup so it was time to make some potatoes. And I had an excuse to use not one but three of my kitchen toys. I used my mandolin, food processor and dutch oven. Oh what fun!

The pictures definitely don't do this recipe justice. I didn't have time to get out my SLR so my point and shoot had to do for tonight. The potatoes were so good that both Joseph and I went back for seconds. And they weren't the skimpy one scoop seconds, they were full plates! YUM! I cannot wait for lunch tomorrow. Can we say left overs?

Source: Sweet Savory Southern



Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

• 5-6 red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 a large onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
• 1 Tbsp italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or blend of cheeses
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• left over cooked ham, diced (as much as you want to add to your dish... I added about 6 slices)
  

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. In a dutch oven or other heavy pan melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 3-4 minutes until the onion cooks down a little. Add the garlic and italian seasoning and cook about a minute. Next add the chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper.

Place a layer of sliced potatoes into the pan, add a layer of diced ham and repeat with potatoes until you have about 1 1/2 inches left in your dutch oven ending with ham.Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly tender. Top with the cheese and place the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes. Let sit 10 min before serving.

(mine were very liquidy but still very tasty... not sure what I'll do next time to thicken the sauce up)