Irresistible Holiday Ham & Potato Casserole!

1. Gather ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

   

2. Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes.

   

3. Add flour and cook, stirring, just to take off that starchy, raw edge, about 2 minutes.

   

4. Pour in heavy cream and whisk to combine. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until it just starts to simmer and thicken up.

   

5. Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Grate in nutmeg.

   

6. Turn off heat. Stir in Worcestershire and fresh thyme leaves. Reserve until needed.

   

7. Cover the bottom of a deep 10×15-inch casserole dish with about 25% of the reserved sauce.

   

8. Add a layer of sliced potatoes, seasoning the tops with some of the remaining salt as desired; ladle over 1/3 of the sauce and sprinkle over 1/3 of the grated Cheddar cheese. Layer in ½ of the sliced ham.

   

9. Place another layer of sliced potatoes on top and season with salt. Ladle over ½ of the remaining sauce; repeat layering with Cheddar cheese and ham.

   

10. Place last layer of potatoes on top. Ladle over remaining sauce and spread out with a spatula. Sprinkle over remaining Cheddar cheese.

    

11. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until browned, bubbling, and potatoes are very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

    

Cooking Tips:

You can use or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme instead of fresh.

Gruyere, or any other melty cheese, will work instead of Cheddar.

The ingredient amounts and cooking time are for a deep 10×15-inch casserole pan. If recipe is scaled down, this can be adapted for a smaller 9×13-inch pan, but will be cooked in less time.

If the top of the casserole is getting too browned before the potatoes are tender, cover with foil.