So I made ham and cheese potatoes for dinner tonight and I figured I would grab a few photos and update the original recipe page. I guess you learn a little more in time how to write recipes (go figure) so I figured I would save the original in all of its newbie glory and just update with a clearer recipe (and maybe a few mildly better photos). Newbie = video games. Yes… I play video games.

Ok, what you are going to need to make this:

  • Enough red potatoes (sliced at 1/2 inch thickness) to fill up a dish to fill an 8 inch square pyrex dish
  • 1 1/2 cups of ham in 1/2 inch cubes (my husband threw in a full two cups because an extra half a cup was there on the counter)
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped onion

For the cheese sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

For flavor:

  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top before you bake

Depending on what cheese I have in the fridge I may use cheddar or Monteray Jack.

First step: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Butter your 8 inch square pyrex dish.

Buttered pyrex dish

Slice the potatoes and layer a layer of potatoes > ham > onions and then start over. Kind of like a sandwich, only the potatoes aren’t cooked yet, so they may not taste very good as a sandwich…

Once you get everything stacked up nicely set it aside so that you can get the cheese sauce ready.

I didn’t learn how to make white sauce until I was about 24-ish. Which I should have known it since my mom would make this cheese sauce for eggs benedict instead of bernaise since it was yummy and less work. We ate a lot of eggs benedict growing up. I still eat a lot of eggs benedict. It is like me and lentil soup, I have to try everyone’s version…

Frequently with sauces that I worry about I will get the ingredients ready first (and I am getting better at doing hat altogether). First you melt the butter over medium heat.

Once the flour, salt and butter are mixed. Start adding the milk. You can do it slowly or get lazy and add it all at once (I usually go slow at first and end up pouring it all in at once and just stirring regularly until it thickens up). Once the white sauce is starting to look a bit like gravy add cheese slowly and add pepper.

As soon as the cheese is melted pour the cheese sauce over the red potatoes. Throw some shredded cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 60 minutes. Take off the foil (maybe sprinkle on a little more cheese) and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese on top is light brown.

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