Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

I have some leftover ham in the freezer stored in a few 1 lb portions for later use. I took some out to make an omelet and still had most of that pound left, so I need to use it up. One of my favorite comfort foods from childhood, and one of the cheapest, easiest things to make for an entire family is this dish.

Tonight I made a small casserole dish of scalloped potatoes and ham, because I know I'll only eat it tonight and then for lunch a couple of times this week. You can double or triple it to your needs.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees and sprayed a small casserole with cooking spray. Then I peeled about 6-8 smaller potatoes, the Idaho variety, and then sliced them fairly thin and put them all in the casserole dish. I then finely chopped about a quarter of a large, sweet onion and sprinkled it over the top of the potatoes in the dish. I seasoned the potatoes and onions with a little salt and pepper.

Then I took my ham, about 1/2 a pound spiral sliced, out of the frig and cubed it up roughly in bite sizes. I added that to the casserole and tossed the ingredients together.

In a medium sauce pan, I melted about 1/3 stick of butter and then added 1 heaping teaspoon of flour, and let it come to a bubbly roux. I kept whisking it, about 2-3 minutes, to release its thickening powers, and then I added about 1 1/2 c. of milk and whisked the mixture until it came to a boil. This gives it full thickening power. I added a little salt and pepper to the cream, whisked it again, and then poured it over the casserole mixture.

I placed the lid on the casserole and baked it in the oven for an hour, until bubbly and starting to get golden and happy on top. The potatoes should be fork tender and in a bubbly cream sauce.

You can eat this all on its own, or serve it with a nice, crusty bread and/or some fresh veggies. Tonight, I'm going to eat it by itself. I'm eating alone, and I have devils food bundt cake left over from having my parents over last night.

At your option, you can elect to add cheese to this dish. I didn't tonight, because I like the traditional pauper's dish that this is.