Scalloped Potatoes and Ham – quick and easy, creamy and cheesy, no layering method with perfect potato to filling ratio!
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham is popular baked dish made of thinly sliced potatoes, bechamel sauce, ham, cheese and some vegetables. It is a variant of classic French Gratin Dauphinois, served for a large crowd of people.
This recipe is maximally simplified. Instead of cutting potatoes, to speed up things, use mandoline slicer or food processor with similar blade to cut your potatoes to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thin slices, a little bit thicker then potato chips.
I suggest making your own Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce). But if you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought one.
This dish is even easier to fix then Potato Moussaka because you don’t need to layer potatoes and filling. You just mix everything together and toss into baking dish.
You can add veggies of your choice to the filling. This time I used corn. Some peas, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash or bell pepper can be added instead of corn.
When you mix the ingredients it may seem that there are not enough potatoes in comparison to the filling. But when the dish is baked, you will realize that ratio is just perfect (at least in my opinion).
If you’re waiting for your guests, you can prepare parts of this dish in advance. Peel and cut the potatoes and put them in a dish filled with cold water (so that they don’t brown). Prepare the filling also. About 1 1/2 hour before serving, combine potatoes with filling and bake. Your guests will be delighted with fresh from the oven Scalloped Potatoes and Ham!
- 4 cups italian Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
- 3 cups (340 g; 12 oz, cubed) cooked ham
- 1 cup cup onions, chopped
- 1 cup corn or other veggies of choice (like peas, bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli or butternut squash)
- 1/2 – 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 5 cups (600 g; 22 oz) potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick (on mandoline or food processor with special blade)
- salt and pepper to taste, depends on the saltiness of the ham
- extra cheese for sprinkling (optional)
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Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F).
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Combine Italian Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce) with ham, onion, corn, cheese and potatoes. Stir gently.
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Pour into a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch casserole dish. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
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Bake for 30 minutes.
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Uncover and continue baking for 30 more minutes. Sprinkle with extra cheese and bake until done (about 30 minutes more). Be sure to check potatoes with a knife for doneness because baking time may vary.
1/2 batch (4 servings):
2 cups Italian Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
1 1/5 cups (170 g; 6 oz) cooked ham, cubed
1/2 cup cup onions,
1/2 cup corn or other veggies
1/4 – 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 cups (300 g; 11 oz) potatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
extra cheese for sprinkling
You can make this even easier by using “Southern Style” frozen hash browns. Everything else stays the same. As a working grandmother raising teenaged grandchildren I need to maximize every minute of my day. We also switch it up by using odds and ends of cheese that are too small for anything else. The last time I made it I was a little short of hash browns so I lightly steamed and chopped some frozen cauliflower. No one noticed.
That is a great tip, Judith, thank you!
Compliments the ham perfectly.