Cheesy Ham and Potato Casserole With Potatoes That Actually Cook Through

Sunday, 5:15 in the evening, the ham from lunch wrapped in foil, and a bag of potatoes that has been waiting all week to be useful. This cheesy ham and potato casserole is where they finally meet: thin potato slices, diced ham and cheddar, an hour or so in the oven, and a smell that gets people out of the other room on their own. It is not elegant, and it has never needed to be. It just shows up warm, knows exactly what you want, and does not make you ask twice.

Two layers, one lid, and a top that goes properly golden.

The whole trick is patience and a cover. The dish bakes covered for 45 minutes so the potatoes steam tender in the creamy soup and milk, then it gets the rest of the cheese and 10 minutes uncovered to bubble. Eight minutes of slicing at the start is the only real work in the entire recipe.

How to make it

1. Slice the 4 large potatoes thin. This takes about 8 minutes.
2. Layer half the potato slices in a baking dish.
3. Top with the 2 cups diced ham, half the 2 cups cheddar cheese, and half the can of cream of chicken soup mixed with the 1 cup milk.
4. Repeat the layers with remaining potatoes, ham, cheese, and soup mixture.
5. Pour any remaining milk mixture over the top and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Cover and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.
7. Uncover, add the remaining cheese, and bake 10 minutes more until bubbly.

Notes

Cooked leftovers keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS, and this dish is no exception. Cover the dish or move portions into a container once it has cooled.

Day two is better for slicing and a little worse for creaminess. Cold, the casserole sets up firm enough to cut into clean squares, and a splash of milk over a portion before it reheats loosens the sauce back toward silky. If you plan to freeze it, expect the potatoes to soften further after thawing; it is more of a comfort reheat than a showpiece.

The potatoes carry a cheesy ham and potato casserole, so give them time. The method has you slice 4 large potatoes thin, which takes about 8 minutes, and the method wants the slices roughly the same thickness. If you have a mandoline, this is the job for it. By hand, a sharp knife and a steady rhythm will do.

Layer like you mean it: half the potatoes, then the ham, then half the cheese and the soup and milk mixture, then repeat. You are building a little lasagna of potato, so keep the layers flat and even, and the pieces will cook at the same speed.

The method has you pour any remaining milk mixture over the top and season with salt and black pepper to taste right there, and that is worth doing carefully. Ham and canned soup both carry salt of their own, so taste before you add more.

A warning in the spirit of full disclosure: this dish makes the house smell so good that people begin to hover. SwipeCart cannot do anything about that, but it can make sure the potatoes are in the cart before Sunday.

Swaps that actually work

The potatoes are the point, and they are the one thing to leave alone. Waxy or all-purpose potatoes hold their shape in thin slices, and either one will do. Peeling is optional.

Diced ham can come from the leftover Sunday ham or from a thick ham steak you dice yourself. Either way, keep the pieces small so each forkful gets some.

Cheddar can be sharp or mild, or part of it can be a different melting cheese such as Monterey Jack. The sauce is a can of cream of chicken soup mixed with milk, and cream of mushroom or cream of celery will also work.

If your baking dish is smaller than usual, use the deeper one and expect the bake to run a little longer, covering until a knife slides through the potatoes with no resistance.

The swap that costs you the dish is thick, uneven slices. The sauce can only do so much against a chunky potato, and extra oven time rarely fixes a dish that bakes unevenly. Slice thin.

If it goes wrong

The potatoes are still firm. The slices were too thick, or the foil was not sealed and the steam escaped. Put it back in the oven covered for another 10 to 15 minutes and test again with a knife before you uncover it for the cheese.

It is watery. Too much milk, or potatoes that were rinsed and not dried. Let the dish stand for 10 minutes before you cut, because the potato starch will thicken the sauce as it cools slightly.

It tastes flat. Salt, and a little extra black pepper. Ham and soup vary a lot in saltiness, so taste a forkful from the middle rather than the top.

The top is dark but the middle is cold. The dish was too deep for the amount of baking time. Cover it loosely with foil and give it another 10 minutes.

What to serve with it

The default beside a cheesy ham and potato casserole is a green vegetable, a pile of steamed broccoli or green beans, because the casserole has plenty of richness and wants something fresh beside it. On SwipeCart, think of the greens as the friend you bring along so the date looks balanced, while the casserole does all the actual charming.

The better version is a sharp salad with a lemony dressing and something pickled in it, which does the job that a squeeze of lemon does on fried food. A spoonful of mustard on the side also suits ham very well.

The thing in the fridge that lifts it is a handful of chopped scallions or chives sprinkled over the top right before serving.

It makes a good lunch the next day, microwaved with a lid over it so the top stays tender.

Why this one earns its place

Some dinners are a performance. A cheesy ham and potato casserole is the opposite: the dinner you make when you have had enough performing, and you would just like something warm to be waiting for you. It is also the answer when there is leftover ham in the fridge and no idea what to do with it.

Swipe it into the week and the agent can shop the potatoes, ham and cheese for you. If you like this kind of baked comfort, the Cracker Barrel style hashbrown casserole is its breakfast cousin, cheesy bacon macaroni bake is the pasta version of the same idea, and what's for dinner tonight is for the evenings when you are still deciding.

More like this: all American recipes in Crave Corner.