Ham & Cheese Scallop
Source of Recipe
The Casserole Cookbook (1954) via the YouTube Channel “Cooking the Books”
Recipe Introduction
This was a good use for leftover Easter ham – the flavor was great, but I do have some notes. Firstly, past experiences have made me suspicious of any potato recipe that calls for sliced RAW potatoes. I have literally NEVER made a recipe with them where the potatoes have turned out fully cooked and tender. Now I always use Bourdain’s method of simmering the sliced potatoes in a little water or cream or I microwave the slices for about 90 seconds. That’s what I did with this recipe, and they were perfect. My only issue was that the finished casserole had a large amount of liquid in the bottom when it was finished – more than 1/2 a cup. This may have been due to the baking dish being too deep (the recipe calls for a shallow 1 1/2-quart dish – I didn’t have a shallow one) or else I might have used the wrong potatoes – I used new potatoes and maybe it would have been better to use russets which might have soaked up the liquid. I’ll try to fix that problem next time.
List of Ingredients
4 to 5 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.), washed, peeled, and thinly sliced [I used a mandolin – see note above]
1Tbsp flour
2 t. salt [mine was too salty for us – next time I’ll hold off.]
1/2 t. msg
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. Penzeys Mural of Flavor seasoning
1 c. ground, cooked ham [I chopped mine]
3oz grated cheddar cheese
1 3/4 c. milk
3 T. butter
Recipe
Grease a shallow 1 1/2qt casserole dish with tight fitting lid and heat the oven to 350F. [This is where I differed in technique from the recipe. First, I placed the potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and microwaved them for about 90 seconds – they were not completely cooked, just a bit pliable. Then I mixed the flour, MSG, Mural of Flavor, and pepper on a large baking sheet, added the potato slices and tossed to coat.]
If you decide to go with the recipe, as written you need to mix the flour, salt (if using), MSG, and pepper in a plastic bag. Add the potato slices and shake well to coat.
Place half the potato slices in the casserole dish, then half the ham, and half of the cheese. Layer the same way with the rest of the potatoes, ham, and cheese.
Scald the milk and add the butter to it. When the butter is melted, pour it over the potato mixture. Bake for 50 minutes* or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Turn the oven off, cover the casserole and leave in the oven for 10 minutes, or when the liquid has been absorbed**.
About 6 servings.
*Anna had to bake this for 65-70 minutes (but she didn’t precook her potato slices like I did).
**As I said in my notes, the liquid was never completely absorbed. I just spooned it off and it was good.
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