Ham Casserole

She Said:

He cooked up several things this past weekend but there was one clear winner amongst the crowd. We actually made it only to take with us this week for lunch and, let me tell you, this thing gets better and better as it sits in the fridge.

The recipe is largely based on this one but we made adjustments, as usual.

Ham Casserole

3 cups potatoes, cubed
3 cups cooked ham, cubed (we used a small canned ham)
2 11-oz. cans of white shoepeg corn
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced celery
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups skim milk
Freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. shredded Colby Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350℉.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.

Combine potatoes, ham, corn and parsley; set aside.

In a saucepan, saute the onions, celery and garlic in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended well. Add the pepper. Gradually add the milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour over the ham mixture and stir to mix well.

Pour into greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

I am so hungry thinking about this. There are leftovers in the fridge and that is exactly what I'm going to have for lunch. Yum!!

Ham, Broccoli and Potato Casserole

11/27/07

Tonight's dinner was something that used up the very last bit of ham from Thanksgiving, and a few other leftovers as well.

She Said:
Whenever I look for a recipe, chances are good that I'm going to read through a bunch of similar recipes and then settle on something that is a combination of all of them plus a little bit of my own flair. That's sort of what happened tonight.

4-5 Russet potatoes, thinly slices
1/2 cup butter, divided
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
1 pkg. (10-oz) frozen broccoli cuts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 oz. shredded smoked Colby cheese
2 cups cooked ham, chopped
Paprika

Preheat oven to 425º. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the potato slices in the baking dish. Melt 1/4 cup of the butter; stir in 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. paprika, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Drizzle the melted butter mixture over the potato slices. Bake, uncovered, at 425º for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned and tender.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the broccoli according to package directions; drain and set aside.

About 15 minutes before the potatoes are done, start the cheese sauce. Melt 1/4 cup of butter and add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to get tender. Mix in 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, the flour and the dry mustard. Stir until smooth and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until smooth and bubbly. Slowly stir in the milk until smooth. Heat until boiling, stirring often. Boil and stir continuously for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add the cheeses and stir until the cheese is completely melted.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven. Layer the cooked broccoli, followed by the ham on top of the potato slices. Pour the cheese mixture over the whole thing and sprinkle with paprika. Return to 425º oven and bake for 15 minutes. Broil for 3-4 minutes until the top just starts to brown.

Now - this recipe is supposedly going to feed 6 people. I guess if you had a salad to go along with it, it might. But I like the concept of one-dish meals on a weeknight, so this really is 4 servings at the most.

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He Said:
I have been a really busy bee lately so I was quite pleased when Pat showed up with a steaming hot plate of this potato, broccoli, cheese and ham conglomeration. I took my first bite and

OH.
MY.
GOD!!

This is one of the best things I have ever eaten (and believe me, I've eaten a LOT!). Cheesy! Smoky! Creamy! and oh so Cheesy! That's right. Cheesy squared.

I would strongly suggest that you go make this. No, not later, right now. Seriously!

And when you're done, please bring me some. No, not later, right now. Seriously!