Holiday Ham and Potato Casserole

Name: Holiday Ham and Potato Casserole
Total time: 140
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 0.25 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup diced yellow onion; 0.25 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups heavy cream; 2 cups whole milk; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, or to taste; 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 0.125 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 0.25 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves; 4.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick; 8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar cheese; 1 pound thinly sliced ham

Recipe by John Mitzewich from allrecipes.com

Dinner 2 Hr. 20 Mins.

Ingredients

8 servings

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0.25 cup unsalted butter
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1 cup diced yellow onion
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0.25 cup all-purpose flour
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2 cups heavy cream
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2 cups whole milk
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2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, or to taste
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0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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0.125 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
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0.25 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
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2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
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4.5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
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8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
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1 pound thinly sliced ham

Instructions

Gather ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add flour and cook, stirring, just to take off that starchy, raw edge, about 2 minutes.
Pour in heavy cream and whisk to combine. Whisk in milk. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until it just starts to simmer and thicken up.
Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Grate in nutmeg.
Turn off heat. Stir in Worcestershire and fresh thyme leaves. Reserve until needed.
Cover the bottom of a deep 10x15-inch casserole dish with about 25% of the reserved sauce.
Add a layer of sliced potatoes, seasoning the tops with some of the remaining salt as desired; ladle over 1/3 of the sauce and sprinkle over 1/3 of the grated Cheddar cheese. Layer in ½ of the sliced ham.
Place another layer of sliced potatoes on top and season with salt. Ladle over ½ of the remaining sauce; repeat layering with Cheddar cheese and ham.
Place last layer of potatoes on top. Ladle over remaining sauce and spread out with a spatula. Sprinkle over remaining Cheddar cheese.
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until browned, bubbling, and potatoes are very tender, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.