You could add ham to this one.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Potato Gratin
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I don't usually follow a recipe when making a Potato Gratin. Use the following as a guideline and adjust everything to your own taste.

For a rich dish, use butter and whipping cream.

3 to 5 Russett Potatoes (or more depending on number of servings required)

1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (optional)
Butter

cream or milk

parmesan cheese

Gruyere cheese as well as cheddars and blue cheeses can be added for a different taste all together.

Salt and pepper

.
Rub cut garlic clove over the surface of a gratin or casserole dish.
Butter.

Slice potatoes and place in pot and add enough cream/milk to almost
cover. Add the garlic clove, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil
and simmer for a few minutes, stirring often so the potatoes do not
stick. When the potatoes have released some of their starch and
thickend the liquid,remove the garlic clove, add 1 to 2 tablespoons
butter and some grated parmesan cheese. Pour into prepared casserole
dish, dot with butter and sprinkle with some more parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Another way to make a potato Gratin is to saute some thinnly sliced
onions in olive oil or butter until golden, add some thyme, and some
chicken broth. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Pour into a buttered casserole dish sprinkle with some parmesan cheese
and bake until cooked.

This is our favorite and it's so easy and simple which is usually best I think...you don't even have to peel the potatoes. Just use ham instead of bacon and you cold leave out the cheese if you like. This is best made with red, low starch potatoes, not russets:

I made these potatoes for our Christmas gathering for 20 people. I didn't measure anything, I just started layering potatoes, salt, pepper and cream. Then we had a small amount of leftover that I mixed with some leftover ham and it was awesome.

{{!gwi}}

5 strips sliced bacon
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds (6 large) red potatoes
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 1/2 cups grated, cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Fry bacon until very crisp, drain and break into pieces. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with a little butter or spray with Pam and pour about 1/4 cup heavy cream over the bottom. Scrub potatoes and slice into 1/4-inch slices leaving peel on (do not rinse after slicing) and lay one layer over cream, sprinkle with some salt, pepper, bacon, parsley, optional cheese and then cream making as many layers as needed to use all ingredients ending with cream. Cover dish with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for another 20 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, and the top is lightly browned. Serves 6

Marilyn

When I add ham to a scalloped potato dish, I put the ham in the food processor and coarsely chop it (or you could use a meat grinder, if you have one). Then I just sprinkle the ground ham over each layer of the scalloped potatoes as I go, but not usually on the top layer.

Makes me hungry for some!!

seagrass

Here is another recipe that you might like. The gruyere cheese would go wonderful with your ham.

This recipe is from Taunton Fine Cooking Magazine. With instructions for making a classic potato gratin.

Classic Potato Gratin

Try to get a good-quality Gruyère or Emmental, which will be moderately assertive yet mellow and nutty.

Serves six to eight.

2 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled

3 cups whipping or heavy cream

1 tsp. coarse salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3/4 cup finely shredded Gruyère, Emmental, or Comté

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, carefully cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (no thicker).

Put the potatoes in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cream is boiling, stirring occasionally (very gently with a rubber spatula so you don't break up the slices).

When the cream boils, pour the mixture into a 2-1/2- or 3-qt. baking dish. If you don't want a tender but garlicky surprise mouthful, remove and discard the garlic cloves. Shake the dish a bit to let the slices settle and then sprinkle the surface with the cheese.

Bake in the hot oven until the top is deep golden brown, the cream has thickened, and the potatoes are extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 min. Don't worry if the dish looks too liquidy at this point; it will set up as it cools a bit. Before serving, let the potatoes cool until they're very warm but not hot (at least 15 min.) or serve them at room temperature.

I often make scalloped potatoes - also without a recipe but this is more or less how I do it. If you want to include ham, just put it between the layers.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

4 potatoes (more or less according to the size of your dish)- peeled and sliced into 1/2 cm rounds
1 onion - sliced finely into 1/2 rings
white sauce - make about 2 cups of a medium, not-too-thick white sauce - or enough to barely cover prepared casserole
butter
salt & pepper
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 155 C (300 F). Slice potatoes and arrange 1/3 of them in bottom of a buttered casserole dish.

2) Slice onions and arrange 1/3 of them on top of potatoes, dot with a little butter and a little pepper.

3) Continue steps 1 and 2 until casserole is 3/4 full, finishing with a layer of potatoes on top.

4) Make white sauce - not too thick and pour over casserole until barely reaching top of potato-onion mixture.
Add pepper and a bit of salt. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

5) Put in oven about 1 hour or until potatoes are soft when tested with knife and top is golden

SharonCb

canarybird & everyone,
thank you for the receipes.What is white sauce.I think I'll go with the packaged ones.Much easier,but loaded with way too much salt.
True4uca

True...

Well I hope you'll try making scalloped potatoes once from scratch as it's so easy.

Basic white sauce is made from equal parts butter and flour with added milk. It's one of the basic sauces for starting many soups as well as bechamel. You can read about it on the link below with the quantities of ingredients for different uses. I'd make about 2 - 3 cups of a medium white sauce for the recipe I posted above so increase the butter and flour accordingly.

SharonCb

Here is a link that might be useful: Basic White Sauce