Ham and Potato Bake https://www.marthastewart.com/336520/ham-and-potato-bake
Oge’s Speed Scale: 2 out of 5, and I’m only giving it a 2 because you have to wait for the oven but honestly the actual work is maybe 20 minutes tops so it’s really a 1.5 but I don’t do half points because that’s confusing so 2 it is
Okay so let me tell you about this dish
My sister-in-law
God bless her
She started bringing this potato thing to every family gathering years ago and I’m talking EVERY gathering like Easter Christmas random Sunday dinners when we’re all just pretending to be hungry because we ate three hours ago but it’s an excuse to drink wine and gossip
She’d show up with this baking dish wrapped in foil like it was some kind of precious cargo and within ten minutes it would be GONE
I’m not exaggerating
My father-in-law who is the pickiest eater on the planet and I’m not saying that lightly because the man once sent back jollof rice at a restaurant which takes some serious audacity went back for thirds
THREE TIMES
That man never eats anything twice let alone three times so I knew something was up
At first I was like what’s the big deal it’s just potatoes and cheese I could make that in my sleep but then I tasted it and okay fine she was right it’s actually really good
So I asked her for the recipe and she gave it to me and I looked at it and I thought that’s it
It was so simple I almost didn’t bother making it
But I made it anyway because I had leftover ham from Christmas and I didn’t know what else to do with it and I’m so glad I did because now it’s one of those dishes I make when I don’t want to think too hard but I still want people to be impressed
I’ve been making it for years now and I’ve tweaked things here and there like more cheese because obviously and less onion because my kids pick it out anyway and a thicker sauce because I hate when the sauce just sits at the bottom of the dish like a sad puddle and doesn’t actually coat the potatoes
That’s the worst
You cut into it and all the sauce runs out and you’re left with dry potatoes swimming in a pool of cheese water
Nobody wants that
So I fixed it
This is that recipe
The one people ask for
The one that disappears first
The one that makes you look like you tried harder than you actually did
What you need
And I mean what you actually need not what some fancy recipe blog tells you you need because they want you to buy a blowtorch or some imported cheese that costs more than your entire grocery budget
The potatoes
Get russets
Four medium ones
About two pounds total
I know that’s vague but honestly potatoes come in different sizes and I don’t have a scale in my kitchen and neither do you probably so just grab four medium ones
Peel them
Chop them into chunks
Maybe half-inch
Maybe a little bigger
Just make them roughly the same size so they cook evenly and you’re not biting into one that’s perfectly tender and then another one that’s still crunchy and you have to pretend it’s fine
Don’t use red potatoes or new potatoes or any of those fancy little potatoes that cost twice as much
I tried that once because the shop was out of russets and I thought how different can they be
Very different
They turned into glue
Like actually glue
I had to throw the whole thing out and order pizza
Never again
The ham
You need two cups
Diced small
Leftover holiday ham is perfect like if you made a big ham for Easter or Christmas and you have a chunk left over that’s sitting in your fridge wrapped in foil and you don’t know what to do with it
This is what you do with it
A thick ham steak from the butcher works too
You know what doesn’t work
Those paper-thin sandwich slices from the deli counter
They dissolve into the sauce
Literally disappear
You end up with nothing to bite into and what’s even the point of putting ham in if you can’t taste it
My auntie does that
She uses sandwich ham and I’ve never told her but her potato bake is always lacking and I think that’s why
But I’ll never say that to her face because she’s my auntie and she would kill me
The onion
Half a yellow one
Dice it fine
I mean really fine
Like you want it to melt into the sauce
If you leave big chunks someone’s going to bite into a piece of raw onion and give you that look
You know the look
The one that says what is this and why is it in my mouth
We don’t want that look
We want the onion to just be there in the background doing its job without announcing itself
For the sauce
Two tablespoons butter
Real butter
Not margarine
I’m not here to judge your life choices but margarine is not butter and it won’t taste the same
Two tablespoons flour
This is what thickens the sauce
Two cups whole milk
Not skim
Not oat milk
Not almond milk
Not any of that stuff
Whole milk gives you body
If you use skim your sauce will be thin and watery and sad
I’ve done it
I regretted it
The cheese
Eight ounces of sharp cheddar
Sharp is important because mild cheddar doesn’t give you enough flavor and you’ll end up adding more salt and then it’s too salty and then you’re mad
Shred it yourself
I know the bags are convenient
I’ve used them too when I’m in a rush and I don’t want to deal with a cheese grater
But they put starch on that stuff to stop it from clumping and that starch makes your sauce grainy
You know that texture where it’s kind of gritty and not smooth and you can’t figure out what you did wrong
That’s the starch
I’ve had to bin entire batches because I was lazy
Learn from my mistakes
Salt and pepper
Go easy on the salt
Like really easy
The ham is salty
The cheese is salty
You can always add more at the end
You can’t take it out once it’s in there and then you’re stuck with salty potatoes and everyone’s drinking extra water and giving you side eye
Now before you even look at the stove there’s some stuff you need to do
Turn your oven to 350°F
Let it heat up while you work
Don’t skip this because if you put the dish in a cold oven it’ll take forever and the cheese will melt before the potatoes are done and everything will be uneven
Get a baking dish
8×8 works
9×9 works
Whatever you have honestly
Grease it with butter or cooking spray
Now peel and chop those potatoes
Put them in a pot with cold water
Enough to cover them
Salt the water like you would for pasta
Not a little pinch
A good amount
Turn the heat up high
Once it boils let it cook for about 15 minutes
Poke a piece with a knife
If it goes in easy they’re done
If it meets resistance give it another couple minutes
Drain them in a colander and let them sit there to steam dry
This is important
If you just dump them straight into the bowl with the sauce you’ll have too much water and your dish will be watery
While those are boiling dice your ham and onion
Shred your cheese
Keep about half a cup separate for the topping
I know this seems like a lot of prep for a simple dish
But if you don’t do this first you’ll be running around like a headless chicken while your sauce burns and then you’re mad at yourself and the dish is ruined
I’ve been there
It’s not fun
Now let’s actually cook
The sauce part
Put your pan on medium heat
Melt the butter
Throw in the onion and cook until it’s soft and see-through
About five minutes
Don’t brown it
We want sweet onion not burnt onion
Sprinkle in the flour and stir for about a minute
This cooks out the raw flour taste
You’ll see it start to bubble a little
That’s good
That’s what you want
Now pour in the milk slowly while whisking
If you dump it all in at once you’ll get lumps
I know you’re in a hurry
I’m in a hurry too
But just whisk steadily and it’ll be fine
Add a pinch of salt and pepper
Let it come to a simmer
Cook for two or three minutes until it thickens
You want it to coat the back of a spoon
Not run right off
Take it off the heat and stir in most of your cheese until it melts
Taste it
Add more salt if you need to
But remember the ham is coming and it’s salty
The assembly part
Put your drained potatoes and diced ham in a big bowl
Pour the cheese sauce over everything and mix it gently
Don’t mash the potatoes
Just coat them
You want them to stay in chunks so when people bite into it they get potato not paste
Pour everything into your greased dish
Spread it out even
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top
The baking part
Stick it in the oven uncovered
Leave it for about an hour and fifteen minutes
You’ll know it’s ready when it’s bubbling at the edges and the cheese is golden and beautiful
Some people use raw potatoes and cover the dish with foil for the first hour to trap steam and cook them through
We boiled ours so we don’t need to mess with foil
Just let it do its thing
The broiler part
Once it’s bubbling and the potatoes are tender turn on the broiler
Keep the dish in there for two or three minutes
Watch it closely
Cheese goes from perfect to burnt in seconds
I’ve burned so many dishes because I got distracted looking at my phone or answering a text or someone called me
Don’t be me
Take it out
Let it rest for at least ten minutes
I know you want to dig in right away
I know it smells amazing and you’re hungry
But if you cut into it hot the sauce is too runny and everything falls apart and you get a sloppy mess
Let it set up
Things that can go wrong
Mine came out watery
You either didn’t drain your potatoes well enough or your sauce wasn’t thick enough before you poured it over
Next time let your potatoes steam dry for a minute after draining and cook your sauce a bit longer
My sauce is grainy
You used bagged cheese or you overheated it after adding the cheese
Shred your own next time and take the pan off the heat before stirring it in
Heat plus cheese equals separated mess
My potatoes are still crunchy after an hour
Your chunks were too big or your oven isn’t hot enough
Cut them smaller next time and get an oven thermometer
Most ovens lie about their temperature
I’m serious
Your oven thinks it’s 350 but it’s actually 325 and you’ll be waiting forever
How to serve it
Just bring the dish to the table
That’s it
That’s the charm
If you have some fresh parsley or chives sprinkle them on top
Makes it look like you tried harder than you did
Serve with a simple green salad or some steamed green beans
Something with a bit of acid to cut through all that richness
Or pickles
Pickles work too
The tanginess balances everything out
If you’re in a hurry
Prep time about 25 minutes
Cook time about an hour and 15 minutes
Serves six people
What you need
Two pounds russet potatoes peeled and chunked
Two cups cooked ham diced small
Half an onion diced fine
Two tablespoons butter
Two tablespoons flour
Two cups whole milk
Eight ounces sharp cheddar shredded and save half a cup for the top
Salt and pepper
What to do
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender
Drain and let them steam dry
Preheat oven to 350 and grease your dish
Cook onion in butter until soft
Add flour and stir for a minute
Whisk in milk salt and pepper
Simmer until thick
Take off heat and stir in most of the cheese until melted
Mix potatoes and ham in a bowl
Pour sauce over and mix gently
Transfer to your dish
Top with reserved cheese
Bake uncovered until bubbling about an hour and 15 minutes
Broil for two to three minutes to brown the top
Watch it carefully
Rest for ten minutes before serving
Making more or making ahead
For ten people multiply everything by one and a half
Use a nine by thirteen dish
For fifty people you’re using hotel pans
The ratios stay the same but taste your salt as you go because it doesn’t scale evenly
I can’t stress that enough
Salt doesn’t work like that
You think okay I’ll just multiply everything by five and it’ll be fine but then it’s too salty and you have fifty portions of too salty food and everyone’s mad at you
Make ahead
Bake it up to two days in advance
Cool completely
Cover
Refrigerate
Reheat uncovered at 325 for about 45 minutes until hot through
That’s it
Nothing fancy
Nothing complicated
Just good food that people actually want to eat
My sister-in-law still makes hers slightly different
She adds a bit of cream cheese to the sauce
I won’t tell her this but sometimes I do that too
You can too
Or don’t
It’s your kitchen
Do whatever you want
My auntie uses sandwich ham and I’ve never told her it’s wrong
But it is wrong
And I’m telling you so you don’t make the same mistake
Now go cook
And stop overthinking
It’s just potatoes
