Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: I’ve been working on cleaning out my freezer, and I had stashed away a nice package of ham that my parents gave me on Easter Sunday. I knew that I wanted to make my Mom’s scalloped potatoes with my leftover ham, and yesterday was the perfect day. I sat at my desk all day at work thinking about supper, which I guess isn’t that abnormal for me, but it was just the kind of day when what I had planned sounded absolutely delicious. And it was. 

What we Loved: This potato recipe is from my Mom, and it’s amazing. It’s the definition of comfort food to me, and I definitely won’t ever look elsewhere for a scalloped potato recipe. This one is perfect. The potatoes are so creamy and cheesy, with a really rich flavor from the sauteed onions and the Parmesan cheese. Parmesan is quickly becoming one of my favorite cheeses, because it has such a strong, sharp flavor, and its inclusion in this recipe is perfect. I simply added the chopped up pieces of the leftover ham into the scalloped potato dish, and B and I both really enjoyed the great salty flavor that the ham added. My kitchen smelled wonderful as this was baking, and it was hard for me to resist bringing the entire pan to the table and eating the whole thing. My Mom always said that peas go well with ham, so I served this with some sugar snap peas. I’ve only recently found that I really enjoy sugar snap peas, which is odd since I don’t care much for peas that aren’t in their pods.

Helpful Hints: The recipe calls for you to peel the potatoes before slicing and cooking, but I have always really loved the flavor of potato skins, so I left them on. You could go either way, depending on your preferences.

Other Potato Recipes: roasted baby red potatoes

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Source: Mom

6 small to medium sized potatoes, peeled (or left unpeeled) and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk (or 1 can evaporated milk and 1 cup water)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded
Ham, thickly sliced and cut into pieces

1. Place the potatoes in a pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 3-4 minutes only. Drain the water, and then add the ham to the potatoes, mixing together. Set aside.

2. Heat the tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan, and add the onion. Cook for 1-2 minutes until tender. Mix in the flour, and then slowly add the milk. Stir over medium high heat until the mixture thickens, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange the potatoes and ham in a greased baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes, and then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Ham and Goat Cheese Empanadillas

This recipe was amazing. We had it as part of our tapas dinner, and we nearly finished off the plate. The empanadillas are filled with a mixture of ham, goat cheese, capers, and seasonings, and they taste so creamy and delicious. I was a little worried about adding capers to the mixture,  but they really added a surprisingly great flavor beneath the more prounced flavors of the ham and cheese. I don’t think that the recipe would be as good without them. And the puff pastry was delicious, as puff pastry always is. I forgot to add an egg wash to the top, so these aren’t very golden and beautiful, but they sure tasted great.

Ham and Goat Cheese Empanadillas
Source: Adapted from The Tapas Cookbook: A Classic Collection of Spanish-Style Recipes

Extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 oz soft goat cheese
3 oz thickly sliced cooked ham, finely chopped
scant 1/4 cup capers, chopped
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan. Add the shallots, and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the goat cheese, ham, onion mixture, capers, and paprika.

3. Roll out the sheet of puff pastry. Using a round cookie cutter, cut small circles into the dough. Fill each with a tablespoon or two of the filling, and then fold to form a half-moon shape. Seal the edges tightly, crimping with a fork if desired.

4. Brush the tops of each pastry with the beaten egg.

5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden.