I typically name in this recipe an afternoon or two after a large baked ham dinner via merely booking 1 or 2 kilos of ¼-inch ham slices. However you’ll be able to select up a 1 to two pound ham steak on the butcher any day of the 12 months to get this gratin made.
You’ll additionally want 3 to 3½ kilos of baking potatoes, determine 3 medium potatoes to make a pound (8-10 small potatoes to a pound); just right alternatives are spherical whites, Yukon Golds, Russet Burbanks, German Butterballs, or Bintjes.
As for the cheese, superb cheese taste fits for ham and potatoes are cheddar (moderately sharp in taste), Gruyère (nutty and full-flavored), Jack (gentle flavored), and Parmesan (candy and nutty taste). Use any this sort of for this dish. You’ll desire a pound of the cheese you select shredded.
Gratin is the French time period for “crust”; this dish develops a crisp, golden crust as it’s oven cooked in a shallow baking dish.This recipe will serve 6 to eight folks.
Ham, Potato, and Cheese Gratin
Yield 6-8 servings
Elements
- 2 cups water
- 1½ kilos ham steak, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3½ kilos baking potatoes peeled and reduce into skinny slices—that’s 9 or 10 bakers, peeled and reduce go smart in ⅛ inch rounds (Replace slices of celery root, parsnip, or turnip for as much as part of the potatoes, when you like.)
- 1 cup skinny sliced or chopped fragrant greens: leeks, crimson onions, or scallions
- 3 cups milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pound cheese, shredded—use Gruyere, Parmesan, cheddar, or dry Jack
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon thyme or parsley or take a look at chives or chervil
- Salt and freshly floor black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
Directions
- In a saucepan over top warmth, convey water to a boil. Upload ¼-inch ham steaks or slices and simmer for 30 seconds. Take away from the warmth, drain neatly, and put aside.
- Slice the potatoes skinny, ⅛ inch thick; use a mandoline to provide even slices temporarily.
- Simmer or parboil the potatoes till they’re cooked part thru; do that earlier than layering them within the baking pan. (Simmering the potatoes will shorten the baking time.) Upload seasonings to taste each the potatoes and the liquid.
- Peel and damage garlic clove; rub the clove over the interior of the gratin dish (a 9-by-12-inch baking dish) then coat the interior of the dish with butter.
- Layer one-third of the potato slices frivolously over the ground of the buttered dish overlapping them moderately then season with salt, recent floor pepper, and herbs. If you’re substituting one of the most potatoes with different skinny sliced root greens akin to parsnips or turnips—start that now (however first parboil the ones greens as you probably did the potatoes).
- Upload herbs and fragrant greens akin to minced crimson onions or skinny rounds of shallots or leeks atop the potatoes to frivolously distribute the flavour.
- Subsequent, layer part of the thinly sliced ham frivolously over the potatoes. Once more sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper, and upload fragrant greens.
- Layer the potatoes once more then upload a 2d layer of ham earlier than including a last layer of frivolously overlapping potatoes—even layers make sure that even cooking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pour the milk right into a small saucepan and heat it over medium warmth till small bubbles seem on the fringe of the pan. Take away from the warmth.
- In a medium saucepan soften the butter over medium warmth. Stir within the flour and prepare dinner for two mins stirring continuously; watch out to not brown the combination. Subsequent, slowly stir within the scorching milk and prepare dinner, stirring till the combination thickens in about 4 to five mins. Take away from the warmth.
- Stir within the shredded cheese and mustard; season to style with salt and black pepper. Go back the saucepan to low warmth and stir till the cheese simply melts, 1 to two mins.
- Pour the cheese sauce frivolously over the layered potatoes and ham. Shake the pan gently to distribute the sauce frivolously into the layers under. Bake exposed till the potatoes are comfortable and simply pierced with a fork, the cheese is effervescent across the edges, and the highest is golden brown, about 1 hour.
- Take away the gratin from the oven and let relaxation for 10 mins permitting it to company up. Serve at once from the gratin dish onto warmed plates. Serve with a inexperienced or bean salad and crusty bread or rolls.
Notes
The gratin may also be cooled and left at room temperature for a number of hours, and reheated in a reasonable oven.
Lessons Casseroles
