3-Cheese Baked Ham And Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

Au gratin is a French term that means "with crust" — interestingly enough, it originally referred to the crust left inside a pan after cooking, something that was the cook's (or dishwasher's) prerogative to scrape off and eat as a bonus, delicious treat. Today, it refers to a crust deliberately used to top an oven-baked dish and is typically made from crumbs or, in the case of this recipe, cheese. As recipe developer Patterson Watkins tells us, "Au gratin potatoes were an absolute treat in my house growing up," recalling memories of gratins made from a boxed mix.

"This adaptation is a little more grownup than the au gratin of my past," Watkins shares. It's still just as cheesy and potato-y, but has what she calls "a little more of a gourmet spin." This upgrade comes courtesy of a three-cheese blend of cheddar, gruyere, and Parmesan, as well as the addition of some sliced ham. The potatoes, too, are fresh ones as opposed to the freeze-dried kind you'd find in a shelf-stable mix.

Unlike those box mix au gratins, this recipe requires quite a few ingredients. The bulk of it is made up of russet potatoes, plus you'll need deli ham and cheddar, gruyere, and Parmesan cheeses. You'll also need butter, onions, garlic, flour, half and half, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spritz a 13x9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat.

Once melted, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant and tender.

Add the flour to the skillet and stir to combine, creating a roux.

Add the half & half and broth, whisk to combine, and bring to a low simmer.

Cook for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until thickened.

Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, whisk to combine, and reduce heat to low.

Add ¾ of each of the three cheeses, working in batches, and whisking frequently, until melted. (Reserve the remaining cheese to use as topping.)

Place a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.

Top the potatoes with a couple heaping spoonfuls of the cheese sauce.

Arrange 3-4 slices of ham on top of the potatoes and sauce. Repeat these layers, filling the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the reserved cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, covered.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the foil, and return to the oven.

Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes or until bubbly, browned, and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

As this 3-cheese baked ham and potatoes au gratin is primarily composed of potatoes but also contains some protein in the form of cheese and ham, it can be a little hard to categorize. This can be a good thing, though; as Watkins puts it, "I think what makes this recipe a little special is its versatility within the meal hierarchy."

You can certainly serve this potato dish as a side. Watkins suggests that it could go with poultry (such as turkey), but there's no reason why it couldn't work with roast beef or a hearty fish, as well. In fact, you could even serve it with ham for a double dose of porky goodness. Watkins notes that this casserole can also make for a main dish for a lighter meal such as lunch or supper. She says that she enjoys consuming it in what she calls "French bistro style," meaning with a salad on the side to cut through some of the fat.

This is a pretty good-sized recipe that fills a large pan, so it's likely you may find yourself with leftovers. Watkins assures us that "reheating and eating this 3-cheese baked ham and potatoes au gratin recipe is super easy," though, noting that she herself ate it over the course of multiple meals for a several-day span.

If you are keeping the casserole in the refrigerator, Watkins says it should be good for up to 3 days. As far as reheating goes, she tells us that it can be cooked in a toaster oven at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes. "Freezing, thawing, and reheating individual portions," she says, "would work too." As far as a time range for the freezer, you'll be good for quite some time, but the quality of a frozen casserole might drop off to some extent after 3 months. Still, even a bit of freezer burn won't render your leftovers inedible so you won't need to toss them out even if you've let them sit a bit longer than that.