This Potato and Ham au Gratin is a fabulously tasty way to use leftover ham and stretch it into more servings than could be achieved by simply plating the meat. Any time this can be done, it provides relief to the grocery budget and provides another main meal option.
Potato and Ham au Gratin is basically an all-in-one meal since the meat and potatoes are combined, surrounded by a cheese sauce, in the one dish. It’s lovely served with a side vegetable or two (carrots and/or peas work well and so, too, would a stir-fried medley of favorite veggies). Biscuits, rolls, or bread also go well with this meal. Homemade mustard pickles, Harvard Beets, or green tomato chow make dandy condiments to this dish, too!
Approximately 6 oz (or 172 grams) of diced cooked ham will be needed for this recipe. This should equate to a scant 1½ cups of diced ham. So, if you want to use a small amount of leftover ham and stretch it into about six or so servings, this is a simple and tasty dish to make. If you wish to make this dish and don’t have any leftover cooked ham from either a baked ham or a boiled ham dinner, or store-bought cooked ham can be used.
Waxy varieties of potatoes work best in this recipe. Red Norlands or Yukon Gold potatoes are what I typically use but any waxy potato variety will work. Potato slices about 1/8” thick (apx. 3mm) are a good thickness. Keeping the slices uniform in thickness helps the au gratin to bake evenly. While eyeballing the cutting of the slices is perfectly fine, a mandolin or handheld slicer, if you have one, makes quick work of this task and ensures evenly sized slices.
Two kinds of dairy are called for in this recipe – 10% M.F. cream and whole milk. This, and the choice of cheeses, give this dish its lovely rich flavor and texture. In a pinch, 2% milk could be substituted for the whole milk but I would not recommend using any fat-reduced dairy products lower than 2% in this recipe.
I use a blend of two cheeses – a sharp cheddar cheese and Gruyère as I find these two cheeses each bring their own flavor profile to the dish and work well together. That said, any good melting cheeses of choice can be used or even all one kind of favorite cheese, if desired.
Here is the step-by-step assembly method:
– ¾ cup of sauce spread over bottom of casserole dish
– Layer of 1/3 of potato slices
– Layer of ½ of the diced ham
– Layer of ½ of remaining sauce
– Layer of 1/3 of potato slices
– Layer of remaining ½ of the diced ham
– Layer of remaining 1/3 of potato slices
– Top with remaining sauce
Au gratin dishes typically are topped with breadcrumbs, additional cheese, and butter mixed together and sprinkled over the top of the main ingredients. I don’t top mine with these ingredients but they certainly can be added, if desired. I mix all the cheese and butter right into the sauce as I prefer a smoother textured dish without the breadcrumbs. If adding the additional cheese and breadcrumbs, I recommend adding them at the end of the baking process and placing the au gratin under the broiler for a few seconds, just long enough to brown the topping.
Be sure to let the au gratin rest for 10-15 minutes after it comes out of the oven to give it time to set before serving at a comfortable eating temperature.
This is not a difficult recipe to make and it freezes (baked) and reheats well in the microwave… that’s if there are any leftovers! The recipe is also scalable which is to say, if more servings are needed, the ingredients are easily doubled, tripled, etc.
Potato and Ham au Gratin
Ingredients:
6 oz/172g diced cooked ham
1 1/3 lb / 604g waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8” (3mm) thick
1½ oz/45 g butter (apx. 3 tbsp)
3 oz/85g onion, diced (apx. 2/3 cup)
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 oz/28g all-purpose flour (apx. 3 tbsp)
4¼ oz/120ml 10% M.F. cream (1/2 cup)
10oz/276ml whole milk (1 1/8 cups)
1½ tsp liquid chicken bouillon
½ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
2½ oz /70g shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1¼ oz /36g shredded Gruyère cheese
Method:
Mix cream, milk, liquid chicken bouillon, paprika, and salt and pepper together in bowl or large measuring cup. Shred the cheeses. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/8” (3mm) slices and dice the ham. Set aside. Grease 1½ quart /1.4 ltr casserole.
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, stirring frequently, just until it starts to become transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring briskly, for about 20 seconds. Do not let garlic scorch. Sprinkle with flour and stir. Using a whisk, slowly mix in the dairy mixture. Continue whisking just until mixture shows signs of starting to thicken. Reduce heat slightly and stir in the cheese blend until cheese has melted. Remove from heat.
Spread about ¾ cup of the sauce over bottom of casserole dish. Using approximately one-third of the potato slices, arrange slices over sauce, slightly overlapping edges of potato slices. Sprinkle one-half of the ham over the potato layer. Pour, or spoon, one-half of the remaining sauce over the ham. Layer another one-third of the potato slices followed by the remaining ham and a final layer of the remaining potato slices. Pour, or spoon, remaining sauce over all the ingredients.
Transfer casserole to oven and bake, uncovered, for approximately 1½ hours or until knife inserted into potatoes inserts with little resistance. If casserole starts to brown too much, loosely tent with tin foil after about 45-50 minutes or so. Let au gratin rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving to allow it time to set. Serve with side vegetable(s) of choice and, if desired, rolls, biscuits or bread.
Yield: Apx. 6 servings
Note 1: Any good melting cheeses can be substituted for the cheddar and Gruyère cheeses called for in the recipe, if desired.
Note 2: If desired, some finely ground breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, and a bit of butter may be combined and sprinkled over top of the casserole at the end of its baking. Place casserole under broiler for just a few seconds to brown topping.
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Potato and Ham au Gratin
Ingredients
- 6 oz/172g diced cooked ham
- 1 1/3 lb/ 604g waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8” (3mm) thick
- 1½ oz/45 g butter (apx. 3 tbsp)
- 3 oz/85g onion, diced (apx. 2/3 cup)
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 oz/28g all-purpose flour (apx. 3 tbsp)
- 4¼ oz/120ml 10% M.F. cream (1/2 cup)
- 10 oz/276ml whole milk (1 1/8 cups)
- 1½ tsp liquid chicken bouillon
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 2½ oz/70g shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1¼ oz/36g shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Mix cream, milk, liquid chicken bouillon, paprika, and salt and pepper together in bowl or large measuring cup. Shred the cheeses. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/8” (3mm) slices and dice the ham. Set aside. Grease 1½ quart /1.4 ltr casserole.
- Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion, stirring frequently, just until it starts to become transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring briskly, for about 20 seconds. Do not let garlic scorch. Sprinkle with flour and stir. Using a whisk, slowly mix in the dairy mixture. Continue whisking just until mixture shows signs of starting to thicken. Reduce heat slightly and stir in the cheese blend until cheese has melted. Remove from heat.
- Spread about ¾ cup of the sauce over bottom of casserole dish. Using approximately one-third of the potato slices, arrange slices over sauce, slightly overlapping edges of potato slices. Sprinkle one-half of the ham over the potato layer. Pour, or spoon, one-half of the remaining sauce over the ham. Layer another one-third of the potato slices followed by the remaining ham and a final layer of the remaining potato slices. Pour, or spoon, remaining sauce over all the ingredients.
- Transfer casserole to oven and bake, uncovered, for approximately 1½ hours or until knife inserted into potatoes inserts with little resistance. If casserole starts to brown too much, loosely tent with tin foil after about 45-50 minutes or so. Let au gratin rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving to allow it time to set. Serve with side vegetable(s) of choice and, if desired, rolls, biscuits or bread.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 6 servings
Note 1: Any good melting cheeses can be substituted for the cheddar and Gruyère cheeses called for in the recipe, if desired.
Note 2: If desired, some finely ground breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, and a bit of butter may be combined and sprinkled over top of the casserole at the end of its baking. Place casserole under broiler for just a few seconds to brown topping.
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