Notes
A ham casserole can be plain or with cheese. But you need a white sauce. A plain casserole has just white sauce and a cheese casserole has a white sauce with cheese.
Ingredients
2 – 3 cups diced ham
I usually do this first because I’m usually deboning a ham leftover from a Sunday dinner. This can get a messy and it’s good to get it out of the way first. However, if you haven’t had a ham dinner lately and you still want the casserole, you can look for a small boneless ham on special. Just cut off the edges and dice it.
6 – 8 cups diced potatoes
Peel and wash the potatoes – place peels in the compost. Dice the potatoes and place them in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to just cover the potatoes and set it on the stove at high. When the potatoes come to a boil, lower the heat on the stove to a low boil for about 45 minutes. You want a low boil, or the diced potatoes will fall apart and you will have mashed potatoes.
3 cups white sauce with cheese:
3 heaping tablespoons butter or margarine
3 heaping tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3 cups shredded old cheddar cheese
Melt the butter or margarine in a medium-large pot. When it is melted, add the flour. Stir well and add the milk. Stir well continuously until the sauce comes to a boil. As soon as the sauce comes to a boil, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese and stir. Continue stirring until the sauce stops bubbling.
Process
Dice the ham. Prepare the potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare your white sauce with cheese. When your sauce is done, your potatoes should be almost done. You want them a little underdone, as they will keep cooking when you add the white sauce. They should be firm – cooked but not falling apart. When they are done, empty them into a colander. Put the diced ham into the large pot and warm the ham for a few minutes. Put in the potatoes and add the white sauce. Stir everything together and add a can of corn if your significant other lets you (Carole never lets me).
