Happy post-Thanksgiving food coma, American friends 😉 I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and hasn’t blown their entire savings on Black Friday sales! Because I’m pretty sure a lot of you are going to be left with a bunch of holiday leftovers, including leftover ham, I wanted to share these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham with you today! I love a good casserole, especially something creamy and comforting like this, because they’re so easy to prep ahead and keep in the fridge until just before your dinner guests arrive (or if you have a 1 year old who happens to be particularly needy between the hours of 4 and 7, this saves you from having to cook dinner one-handed!). The fact that I can make everything and do all my clean up long before worrying about setting the table more than makes up for the fact that they require an extra pot or pan.
How to make Scalloped Potatoes:
Start with your potatoes. I prefer red potatoes for pretty much everything, because they have a smooth skin and creamy texture. This means that you can peel them… or not… and no one will even notice when they take a bit of these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. The potatoes go into the greased baking dish raw, which is why they require such a long bake time. But hey, it’s not like we have to sit at the oven and watch, so it’s fine by me! Please note that the potatoes cannot be sliced and stored — they will turn brown! The sauce starts with a roux, which means you melt some butter and whisk in some flour to make a paste. Then, you add chicken broth, milk, cream — whatever your liquids are, and whisk and cook to thicken. Then all we need is cheese, beautiful cheese! No explanation required 😉
Variations of these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham:
Swap the protein: feel free to use turkey instead of leftover ham, or even sliced sausages, or skip it and serve these cheesy scalloped potatoes as a side dish to this Instant Pot Whole Chicken or these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (easily made in the slow cooker or on the stove top as well!). Add some veggies: feel free to add in vegetables to make this a full meal deal. Broccoli (though it will get quite soft), mushrooms, thinly sliced carrots, would all be great choices!
Spice it up. Feel free to add a splash of sriracha or hot sauce to the sauce — sometimes a little heat is perfect to cut through the richness of the cheesy sauce!
How to lighten up Scalloped Potatoes and Ham:
There are a few ways that these Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes can be lightened up.
Swap some of the potatoes for sliced sweet potatoes. Swap the cream for lighter cream or whole milk. Swap the cheese for low fat cheese, or use less.
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