Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Name: Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 145 min
Ingredients: 4 russet potatoes—medium (peeled and sliced thin.); 1 onion (small chipped); 4 tablespoons butter; 4 tablespoons flour (1/4 cup); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 3 cups milk; 2 cups shredded cheese of choice (Monterey Jack or cheddar are good choices); 3/4 pound ham (dice or cut into small bite size bites. About 3 cups. A bit more or less is fine.)

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Scalloped Potatoes and Ham are a classic old-fashioned comfort food with creamy sauce, melted cheese, and slices of tender ham and potatoes—perfect for leftover ham.

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😊Why you will love this recipe
🥔Ingredients
👨‍🍳How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
How long to cook scalloped potatoes and ham
✔️Tips
⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendly recipe
❓FAQs
📖Scalloped Potato Recipes
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
📖 Recipe

Homemade from scratch, this is our favorite comfort food. The whole family will love this easy recipe.

😊Why you will love this recipe

Scalloped potatoes and ham are the perfect comfort food, with tender potatoes with delicious ham in a cheesy sauce.
The perfect way to use leftover ham from Easter or other holidays.
Much easier to make from scratch than you would think using common ingredients with the easy step-by-step photo instructions.
It can be made ahead and refrigerated.
Make a half recipe if you want, but most people will have two servings, and the leftovers are wonderful.

The inspiration recipe is a Pioneer Woman recipe on Food Network but highly modified by my old memories. Some of the changes are simplifying the instructions, decreasing the fat, and, most importantly, changing the cooking time for the perfect texture.

🥔Ingredients

Potatoes—usually Russet, but Yukon Gold potatoes are most commonly used. Russet potatoes have thick skin, so they must be peeled.
Ham—bite-sized, trimmed, and sliced.
Cheese—mild cheddar cheese, but Monterey Jack or Gruyere is also commonly used.
White Sauce—butter, onion, milk, AP flour, salt, and black pepper

👨‍🍳How to Make Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Peel and slice potatoes ⅜ inch thick. Chop the onion and ham.
In a saucepan, cook the onion in butter until clearing—about 4-5 minutes. Season and add flour to make a roux and brown the roux.
Add milk, salt, and pepper to the roux and whisk until thickened.
Make the casserole in a prepared pan with three layers containing potato slices, ham, shredded cheese, and sauce. Use double cheese to top the final layer.
Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown—20 to 25 minutes.
Rest for at least 10 minutes to set up before serving.

How long to cook scalloped potatoes and ham

It takes about 2 hours to get potatoes "fork tender" with no firmness to the potatoes.

Most reference recipes suggest total cooking times of 60-70 minutes. While it is "done," the potatoes still have some firmness. Feel free to cook for the original recommended 40 minutes covered and 25 minutes uncovered if you want firmer potatoes.

✔️Tips

Any ham that is "bit size" will work well. The amount of ham you use is flexible. For this full-size recipe, about ¾ pounds, approximately 3 cups of sliced ham, is suggested, but a bit more or less is acceptable.
Dice ham will also work, but I find sliced ham more traditional.
This recipe is for raw potatoes, not frozen potatoes which will have an inferior texture. It is worth the little work it peel and slice.
Russet potatoes are usually used and should be peeled. Thinner-skinned potatoes like Yukon Gold may be used and don't need to be peeled. All potatoes will cook about the same.
This recipe needs about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of sliced potatoes. A medium Russet potato is 6-8 oz.
Slice the potatoes about ⅜ inch thick but no thinner than ¼ inch thick. Use a mandolin if you have one, and please follow the manufactures safety instructions to prevent an unscheduled trip to the emergency room.
The white sauce is a classic roux recipe and is easy to make with the instructions. For more details on making a roux, see How to Make Gravy from Scratch—Quick & Easy.
Do not skip letting the casserole rest for 10 minutes, which allows the sauce to set up and not be runny.

⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendly recipe

This recipe is easy to cut in half, from 8 to 4 servings, but the work doesn't decrease much.

Use a 6X9 or 8X8 pan for a half recipe.
Adjust the number of servings in the recipe card from 8 to 4. That will do the math and change the ingredient amounts displayed.
The amounts listed in the instructions do not adjust, so you must follow the quantities in the ingredients and not the instructions.
Cooking time will be slightly shorter, so check a bit early for fork tender.

❓FAQs

How can I make scalloped potatoes and ham ahead?

Assemble completely and seal airtight. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Freezing uncooked may change the texture. So fully cook and cool before freezing for 1-2 months.

What's the difference between scalloped and au gratin potatoes?

Scalloped is anything baked in a casserole with a sauce that could be cheese or any other sauce. Au Gratin means “with cheese.” So this recipe could be called Scalloped Potatoes, Au Gratin potatoes, or Scalloped Au Gratin potatoes.

How to store leftovers?

For short-term storage of leftovers, seal well and refrigerate for 3-4 days. For longer-term storage, freeze for 1-2 months.

Reheating in the oven is preferred. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

📖Scalloped Potato Recipes

Old Fashion Scalloped Potatoes

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Also, see What to Do With Leftover Ham for ham ideas.

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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

ham with potatoes and casserole ingredients

Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.

Scrub, peel, and slice 4 medium russet potatoes— 1 ½ to 2 pounds. Slice thin—about ⅜ inch thick. A mandolin is recommended if you have one. If you use a mandolin, please follow the manufactures safety instructions.

Chop 1 small onion. Chop or slice your ham into bite-size pieces.

cooking chopped onion with butter in a sauce pan

Over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and add the onion. Cook until clearing—about 3-4 minutes.

sprinkling flour into cooked onion and butter to make roux

Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons flour and mix well. Continue to cook and whisk for about 2 minutes until browning some.

adding milk to roux with whisk in sauce pan

Add 3 cups of milk slowly while continuing to whisk. Whisk and cook until thickening well—about 3-4 minutes. During this part, add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Prep a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish with a coat of butter.

pouring sauce over layer in the casserole

Add about ⅓ of the potatoes—top with ⅓ of the ham, ½ cup of shredded cheese, and ⅓ of the sauce. Repeat two more times, but with the top layer, add the cheese last and double to a full cup.

Cover with aluminum foil.

browned scalloped potatoes and ham out of the oven

Bake for 90 minutes, then uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes until nicely brown and bubbling.

scalloped potatoes and ham on white plate

Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving—do not skip this step.