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If warm and hearty is what you're craving, then Ham & Potato Au Gratin is what you should be making. Nothing can fill you up quite like layer upon layer of fork-tender potatoes, rich, creamy cheese sauce, and some salty, juicy ham slices. All that gets topped with even more cheese for a dish that will certainly be good for your soul. Mmmm, there's a time and place for comfort food, and this Ham & Potato Au Gratin is sure to satisfy... without a doubt!
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 whole sprigs thyme, plus more, to taste, leaves pulled off, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8-inch-thick
- 3 cups ham, cooked and sliced
Directions
Step 1 -Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 -In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 4 -Add the onions and the garlic to the melted butter and sauté, stirring constantly, until they are soft, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 5 -Add the flour to the onion-garlic mixture and stir to combine.
Step 6 -Add the half-and-half, the milk, the chicken broth, 2 whole sprigs of the thyme, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to the onion-garlic mixture and stir to combine.
Step 7 -Bring the sauce mixture to a boil, while stirring, and cook until it thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 8 -Turn off the heat. Add the cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese to the sauce and stir to combine.
Step 9 -Remove and discard the thyme sprigs from the sauce, then taste and season with the extra salt and the pepper, as needed. Stir to combine.
Step 10 -Transfer the pot from the heat.
Step 11 -Add a very thin layer of the cheese sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 12 -Add 1/3 of the potatoes over the cheese sauce layer and top with 1/3 of the cheese sauce. Top the cheese sauce layer with 1/2 of the ham, avoiding overlapping the slices.
Step 13 -Repeat the layers once using 1/2 of the remaining potatoes, the remaining ham, and 1/2 of the remaining cheese sauce.
Step 14 -Place the remaining potatoes over the cheese sauce layer and top them with the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella.
Step 15 -Place the baking dish in the oven and carefully place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack.
Step 16 -Bake the ham and potatoes until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. If the bake begins to brown too quickly, cover the baking dish with foil.
Step 17 -Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let rest, about 15 minutes.
Step 18 -Garnish with the extra thyme leaves and serve.
