A tasty dish for chilly days. A versatile and delicious potato casserole. Just three primary steps. Slice the vegetables, make a basic white gravy, layer with cheese and bake. Want it spicy? Use hotter peppers.
SERVINGS: 6 Cups – Approximately. Calories via Chronometer: 440 per Cup/2640 entire Dish
- 2 lb whole potatoes. Pictured are Yukon Gold and Rose Finn fingerling.
- 3T Butter
- 1/2 C chopped Shallot
- 1/2 C thinly sliced or diced peppers. Pictured are Tobago Seasoning and Arroz Con Pollo peppers.*
- 1 C diced ham. Pictured is pre-cut hormel.
- 2T AP (all purpose) flour
- 1-1/4 C 2% cows milk
- 3/4 C heavy cream
- 1T Worcestershire sauce
- 1t onion powder
- 1t garlic powder
- 1t paprika
- Salt n Pepper
- 1-1/4 C Cheddar-Jack cheese
- Slice the vegetables. Potatoes should be sliced at an 1/8″ thickness. Dice the shallot. Thinly slice or dice the peppers. Set aside. Set oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the chunky gravy. Melt the butter in a med to large pan. Once melted, add the shallot and cook over med-low heat (3.5 on my LG stovetop) until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the diced pepper, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the diced ham and cook for a couple of minutes, to crisp up a bit and be a warm addition to the gravy, getting the potatoes to cooking quicker. Then add the flour, sprinkling over the pan and mixing thoroughly. Cook the mixture an additional minute, as raw flour in a gravy adds an unpleasant aftertaste for some people. Add the milk and the heavy cream, mix well. Set stovetop temp to HI. Stand there with a stirring implement, a wooden slotted spoon or a large whisk, ready to stir again. Once it gets bubbly, turn the heat off and stir til the bubbles stop and the gravy is calm, a minute or so. Season with the Worcestershire sauce, the onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Taste it. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
- Prep the taters. Spray a large oven-safe frying pan or a large casserole dish with non-stick spray. Begin to layer the potatoes in that pan. At each layer, sprinkle layer with a small bit of salt. Once half the potatoes are layered, pour half the gravy over the potatoes, then top with a 1/2 C of cheddar jack cheese. Layer remaining potatoes, then top with remaining gravy and the remaining 3/4 C of cheddar jack cheese.
BAKE in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, COVERED. Remove cover and bake UNCOVERED for another 15 minutes. Serve warm.
A hearty Hannah Bon Appetit!
NOTES
-I prefer a sweet red pepper with a hint of spice. Prefer no spice? Go with a bell type pepper. A mild spice? Dice one poblano instead. Hot? Dice up a jalapeno pepper or two.
–Why can’t you just tell me how much salt to add? A few reasons. Firstly, each palate is different. For another, ham is highly variable in its salt content. I have no idea how much salt is in the ham you will be adding to your dish. Same with cheese. It is best to taste something (if it can be done safely) and then season to taste. Baking generally has fewer high-salt variables and per raw eggs, often shouldn’t be season-to-taste.
–Can I freeze this? Yes, up to three months.
THE END.
