Deluxe Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

This is a truly a deluxe recipe for Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. It has just the right amount of delicious creamy sauce that coats the potatoes and ham. All topped with shredded cheese that gets golden and caramelized in some spots. It is sure to become a comfort food favorite in your house, especially if you have leftover ham in the fridge!

Some other really great comfort food recipes to check out next are Chicken and Dumplings, Turkey Pot Pie, and Chicken Tetrazzini!

Why This Recipe is So Amazing

Let me tell you why this recipe is so great! I tested scalloped potatoes and ham over and over again until I got it right. Here’s why this recipe works:

• There is the perfect ratio of cream sauce to potatoes.
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt adds the perfect salt flavor to the potatoes.
• By adding a layer of cream sauce on the bottom you get caramelized bits on the bottom and top!
• It’s a excellent recipe to use up leftover holiday ham (so is this recipe for Instant Pot red beans and rice and Ham Balls!)
• Layering the dish ensures you get sauce and ham with every bite of potato.

What Does Scalloped Mean?

In cooking, scalloped generally means that the dish is cooked in some type of cream sauce. As in scalloped corn or scalloped apples.

People often confuse “gratin” or au gratin” with scalloped. The difference is au gratin means it is cooked in a sauce that contains cheese, not just a cream sauce.

Ingredients

To make this over-the-top Scalloped Potatoes and Ham dish you will need the ingredients pictured:

Ham

You will need cooked cubed ham for your scalloped potatoes and ham. If you have leftover ham this is a great recipe to use that up.

However it is not every day that you have leftover ham in your fridge! So, I like to buy a bone-in ham steak and cut it into cubes. Buying one that is around 1.25 lbs. will be great.

This is not the time for thin deli ham slices. You want to be able to cut 1-1.5 inch cubes of ham.

Sauce

As we talked about before, scalloped means that you are baking the potatoes in a cream sauce. So for this recipe we use butter, onions, garlic, chicken broth, and heavy cream to make the sauce.

The addition of a little cream cheese also makes the cream sauce extra rich and creamy!

Step by Step Picture Instructions

Start by peeling then slicing your potatoes on a mandolin, V slicer or in a food processor with an ⅛ inch thick blade. You can also cut them by hand, it will just take a while longer.

This Mandolin is not expensive and is the one I use in my kitchen (affiliate link). It works like a charm!

Now in a large bowl toss the potatoes with ½ cup cream. This will slow the browning process.

In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter, then add the sliced onions. Sauté them for about 5 minutes or until they just start to brown around the edges (FLAVOR!). Now add in the garlic, seasoned salt and pepper, cook for 1 minute.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the onions for 1 minute.

Now slowly whisk in the chicken broth, followed by the 2 cups heavy cream.

Add the cubed cream cheese in and stir to melt. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until it is thickened.

Layering

Grab a deep 9×13 dish, rub the bottom and sides with the 1 tablespoon softened butter.

• Start with 1 cup of cream onion sauce across the bottom.
• Top with a layer of potatoes.

• 

• 

• Spread a generous cup or so of onion cream sauce across the potatoes.
• Sprinkle on half the ham.

• 

• 

• Top with another layer of potatoes.
• Spread a generous cup or so of onion cream sauce across the potatoes.
• Top with remaining ham.
• To finish, layer the remaining potatoes, top with all the remaining sauce, and finally sprinkle on the 2 cups of cheese.

Give the dish a little press to make sure everything lays flat.

Baking

Cover the dish tightly with foil. Then place on a large rimmed baking sheet to catch spills in the oven.

Pro tip: Spray the underside of the foil with non-stick spray so the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil!

Bake at 400 degrees, covered, for 70 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Your Scalloped Potatoes and Ham will be smoking hot when it comes out of the oven, allow about 20 minutes for the dish to cool, settle, and thicken before serving!

Testing for Doneness

The LAST thing you want in a potato dish are crunchy potatoes! So after the full 2 hour cook time, slide a knife into the potatoes at the center of the dish. You shouldn’t meet any resistance. That is how you know the dish is done.

I mention this because if you are cutting your potatoes by hand they might not be exactly ⅛ inch thick and may take a few extra minutes to completely soften.

Serving

This dish will serve 6-8 people. A green salad and rolls are great side dishes to pair with scalloped potatoes and ham. Some other options are:

• Roasted Asparagus
• Roasted Fennel
• Roasted Broccolini
• Broccoli Bacon Salad

Recipe Tips

• Spray the underside of your foil with non stick spray so it doesn’t pull all the cheese off the top.
• Use fresh shredded cheese! It melts creamier.
• Slightly brown the onions for more flavor.
• Wait and add the garlic when you add the salt and pepper, it keeps the flavor a little stronger.
• Make sure you calculate “resting time” in your total preparation time. The sauce is like molten lava when it comes out of the oven!
• Test the potatoes for doneness at the end of the cooking time by sliding a knife into the center of the dish.

More Comfort Food Dinner Recipes

---