Scalloped Ham and Cheddar Potatoes

Well, I had more ham to use up, and some onion, and some cream, and some potatoes, and after looking at these individual scalloped potatoes, I decided that would be something good to use up all my leftovers in the fridge. But I wanted a big heaping pan of goodness, not individual bites. After checking out lots of recipes, and printing out this one, I ended up with what follows. Everyone loved it! The picture shows everything heaped onto the plate--I should have gotten one right out of the oven, still in the baking dish. It was prettier. :)



Scalloped Ham and Cheddar Potatoes

1/4 cup minced onion
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (Use regular butter if that's all you've got.)
4 cups half and half (now you can use all cream, and probably even all whole milk [you're not drinking anything but whole milk--are you?], but I combined the two and probably ended up with close to half and half)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
some freshly ground nutmeg (sorry, I didn't measure it--maybe 1/8 teaspoon?)
3 pounds potatoes, 1/8 inch slice (you can use any type, I used red potatoes--keep them in water if they are going to have to wait a while before going into the pan)
ham, chopped (I probably used a little over a cup)
sharp cheddar, grated (I probably used about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a large baking dish.

In a stock pot melt the butter over low heat and cook the onions for 10-15 minutes. Add the half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, increase heat and until it comes to a simmer. Add the potatoes and more half and half if necessary to barely cover the potatoes. (Okay, I admit they weren't completely covered--and I'm happy about it, because I wouldn't have wanted more liquid in the finished product. I did end up adding about 1/2 to 1 cup more milk though.) Lower the heat to simmer until the potatoes are barely fork tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer 1/3 of the potatoes with some of the cream to the prepared dish, forming an even layer on the bottom. Top with 1/3 of the ham and 1/3 of the cheese. Continue layering the potatoes, ham and cheese, ending with the cheese on top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. If the baking dish looks really full, place it on a baking sheet while it's cooking.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Drink the leftover liquid. It's that good.