We are closing in on election day and I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it. Enough with negative campaigns. Enough with the attack ads. Enough with the bluster. The only thing I will miss after November 8th are the Saturday Night Live skits (Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon are brilliant). Until then, I just want to hunker down, turn off the tv, unplug my phone and only pay attention to funny cat videos on Facebook. And eat comfort food – like this Potato Ham Au Gratin.
This dish reminds me of the comfort foods from my childhood. My mother, grandmother and Aunt Heather all had their own renditions of this classic casserole — each one meant to feed a crowd. Since we’re only two in the house, I’ve scaled down this recipe to feed two very hungry appetites or four along with a side salad. If you need more, it can easily be doubled.
The sauce is a classic béchamel, infused with a generous amount of cheese. I used a 4-cheese Italian Blend from Sargento, but you can substitute other types of cheese like cheddar, monterey jack or provolone.
I used a mandoline to slice the potatoes paper thin and chopped the ham into half inch pieces. Caramelized onions add a sweetness to the gratin. I always have caramelized onions on hand because I use them regularly in my cooking. I make big batches and portion them into small containers to freeze, so that they’re ready when I need them. If you don’t feel like caramelizing onions, you can skip it, but they really make this gratin special.
Layer your casserole with a little sauce spread across the bottom of the dish, followed by potatoes, ham, onions and cheese sauce and repeat for a second (or third) layer. Don’t forget to sprinkle on more cheese just before baking. To prevent burning I spray a piece of tin-foil with vegetable spray and lightly lay it over the casseroles for at least half of the cooking time. (The vegetable spray prevents the cheese from sticking to the foil.)
The molten cheese sauce will burn your mouth – so let them cool for a few minutes before digging in. The potatoes are tender and savory with subtle sweetness from the caramelized onions. The ham rounds out the casserole and makes it more substantial. This is exactly the kind of comfort food we all need to get through the next few weeks. Stay strong!
Potato Ham Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes red skinned, very thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 cups ham diced
- 1/3 cup caramelized onions or 1/2 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheese shredded, I used a 4 cheese Italian blend from Sargento, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir constantly, cooking for about a minute until flour is incorporated and bubbly. Add the salt and pepper and stir until fragrant. Add milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese until it melts into the sauce. Set aside.
- Spray individual gratin dishes or small, shallow casseroles with vegetable spray. Add about a tablespoon of sauce to the bottom of each dish and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.
- Layer the casseroles with 1/3 of the potatoes, followed by the half of the onions and half of the ham. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the mixture and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Continue to layer the potatoes, onion, ham and sauce, finishing with a layer of potatoes and sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the casserole. Cut the remaining tablespoon of butter into small cubes and sprinkle them over the cheese. Place the gratins on a baking sheet. Spray a piece of tin foil with vegetable spray and place gently over the casseroles sprayed side down (do not seal the casseroles with the tin foil). Bake for 45 minutes, remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes to brown the tops. Serve.
Nutrition
More Comforting Casseroles:
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- Cheesy Tomato Egg Gratin
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- Mac n’ Cheese
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- Hatch Chile Breakfast Strata
This recipie is delicious !! Try it!! It’s so easy…especially the 2nd time!
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Kim!
Great recipe — I really appreciate the nutritional information. Can’t wait to get more into your site. This was delicious and my husband wants me to throw it into our rotation. Instead of caramelized onions, I thinly sliced a Vidalia with my mandolin, too, and they melted into the dish beautifully. Topped it with fresh green onion and parsley as quick as it came out of the oven. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment, Jessica — so glad that it worked out well for you and that your husband enjoyed it. If you’re putting it into rotation — do yourself a favor and caramelize a bag of onions — then just parse them out into 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup containers and freeze them — they’ll be ready the next go round.
You list 1 1/2 cups milk and then say to use 1 1/4 cups milk to make the cheese sauce. I used all 1.5 cups but just wondered which one it should be. Mine looks fine btw!
Good catch, Maria — thank you. I’ve fixed it.
This was great! We had some left over cooked smoked ham, what an excellent way to use it up. Because I had a lot of ham, I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9×13 casserole dish. I used white russet potatoes and cooked my onions until translucent. I have yet to try carmelized onions, but I know they’d be delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mallory! I’m a big fan of repurposing leftovers like that! Thanks for sharing!
Looks yummy, Lisa and definitely agree re: the election.
Hi Lisa
Can I omitt the ham? Also, how thin are these potatoes, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 etc.
Hi Jackie! Sure you can omit the ham — and cut the potatoes as thinly as you can with a knife — 1/8″ would be good. If you have a mandoline, you can go thinner.
This looks absolutely delicious!! You always make the best looking recipes!
Thank you Camille!
Have I ever told you how much I LOVE potatoes??… cheesy potatoes to be exact. LOVE LOVE LOVE. These look amazing! 🙂
LOL! I’m so glad you like them, Katrina! Next time you’re over….
Oh. my. goodness. That is total comfort food! My family is going to go crazy over this!
Glad you like it Raia!
What a great side dish for Thanksgiving! This looks amazing and would be gobbled up in a flash at my Thanksgiving dinner. Great pics too!
We actually had this for dinner with a side salad! Does that make me a glutton?
I hear you about the politics! Sooo sick of it! I love that you are using carmelized onions in this Gratin! That has to add a wonderful depth of flavor!
Thank you, yes I love caramelized onions in this dish — it adds a nice sweet unctuousness!