Potatoes au gratin with ham is a cheesy potato casserole layered with diced ham. It's the perfect main course for your next family meal or for using up that leftover holiday ham!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Thin sliced potatoes are coated in a creamy, homemade sauce with cheddar cheese and diced ham.
Yield: 8 servings in a 9x13 pan.
Great for: Family meals and holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Serve with: Marmalade Glazed Ham or Juicy Oven Roasted Chicken Breasts
Similar to: Dill Scalloped Potatoes and Gruyere Potatoes Au Gratin
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Potatoes - I recommend yukon gold (shown in the photos) or russet potatoes for this recipe. Both have a high enough starch content to hold their shape after baking and are widely available year round.
- Unsalted butter - If using salted butter, reduce the salt listed by ¼ teaspoon.
- Onion and garlic - Enhance the flavor of your potatoes au gratin. I don't recommend omitting either. Use fresh minced garlic for best flavor. Pre-minced garlic in a jar often has a much harsher flavor than fresh garlic.
- Flour - Flour and butter are necessary to make a roux, which thickens the cream sauce.
- Broth - Chicken broth adds flavor to your cream sauce. Vegetable or pork broth would work as a substitute, but will alter the flavor slightly.
- Milk - Whole milk makes your sauce thick and creamy. If substituting with a lower fat milk, like 1% or skim, your sauce will turn out thinner.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, and thyme add flavor to your sauce. Test your ham before seasoning your sauce. If your ham is very salty, you may want to reduce the amount of salt slightly. I've already reduced the salt by half to account for the saltiness of ham (compared to my plain potatoes au gratin recipe), but feel free to season to taste.
- Sharp cheddar cheese - I highly recommend grating your cheese fresh from a block. Pre-grated bagged cheeses are coated in anti-clumping powders that can get grainy when melted.
- Ham - Any cooked/cured/smoked ham works in this recipe. Cubed ham steak, leftover spiral sliced ham, or thick cut deli ham are great options.
How to make potatoes au gratin with ham
- Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and create a quick cream sauce on the stovetop. Saute onions and garlic in butter, add flour to create a roux, then whisk in broth, milk, and seasoning. Cook sauce until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add about ¼ of your potatoes to the bottom of your prepared pan and top with about ⅓ of your diced ham and ¼ of the cream sauce.
- Add another layer of potatoes, ham, and cream sauce, then add half of the cheddar cheese.
- Top with another two layers of potatoes, ham, and sauce, adding the last of the cheddar cheese on top.
- Cover and bake casserole for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Tips and tricks
Use a mandoline - My secret to perfectly sliced potatoes? Use a mandoline slicer, like this version on Amazon: mandoline slicer. I recommend setting it to ⅛" to ensure your casserole cooks through within the times listed in the recipe card.
Don't have a mandoline? - Many times your food processor will have an attachment to slice vegetables. Check the sides of your box cheese grater - one side may have a vegetable slicer. If all else fails, carefully slice your potatoes using a chef's knife. This option is the most time consuming.
Cook the sauce until it thickens - It may take several minutes for your sauce base to thicken on the stove top. If you've doubled this recipe to make two large casseroles, it will take even longer. Be patient, whisk occasionally, and it will slowly thicken. Your sauce is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon.
Make ahead
Potatoes au gratin can be assembled a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Cover your casserole dish with plastic wrap, pressing down to keep out as much air as possible. Exposed potatoes may discolor slightly overnight.
While your oven is preheating, bring your casserole to room temperature on the counter top, then bake as directed in the recipe card.
Frequently asked questions
Scalloped potatoes are not made with cheese, while potatoes au gratin are made with cheese. Otherwise, they're very similar dishes. The term scalloped potatoes is often used to describe both dishes, whether cheese is present or not.
There are a few reasons why a cream sauce can curdle. Most often, heat is the culprit. If the sauce is heated too high and for too long, it can cause the sauce to separate. If there's not enough fat in the sauce, like if you've used skim milk instead of whole milk, this can also cause it to separate.
Reduce the heat, then add a splash of heavy cream or a cube of butter to your sauce and stir to combine.
Leftover potatoes au gratin will keep for about 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
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📖 Recipe
Potatoes Au Gratin with Ham
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds (1134 g) yukon gold potatoes, or russet potatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces (227 g) chicken broth
- 16 ounces (454 g) milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups (226 g) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 12 ounces (340 g) cooked ham, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
- Scrub and rinse potatoes, optionally peel (if desired), and slice to ⅛" thickness. I recommend using a mandoline slicer if you have one available. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, add onions and cook until they begin to brown and turn translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat and create a paste. Cook for one minute.
- Whisk in broth and milk. Continue whisking until no lumps remain. Cook sauce for another 3-4 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, and thyme, stirring to incorporate.
- In prepared 9x13 pan, arrange ¼ of sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish, overlapping slightly. Top with ⅓ of your chopped ham. Pour ¼ of sauce over ham. Repeat once more, adding another layer each of potatoes, ham, and sauce. Next, add half of the shredded cheddar cheese in an even layer. Add two more layers of potatoes, ham, and sauce (for a total of four layers each of potato, ham, and sauce), and top with remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover casserole with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes can easily be pierced through with a fork in the center of the casserole. The thicker your potatoes are sliced, the longer it will take for them to cook through.
- Optionally, turn on broiler for 2-3 minutes to lightly brown cheese on top before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Using salty ham?: If your ham is very salty, you may want to reduce the listed salt slightly.
- Use freshly grated cheese: Freshly shredding cheese from a block adds a creamy, smooth consistency to your casserole. Pre-shredded bagged cheese is often coated in an anti-clumping powder that becomes grainy when melted.
- Storage: Leftover casserole will keep for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Make ahead: Casserole can be assembled ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Cover potatoes with plastic wrap, pressing down to keep out as much air as possible. Exposed potatoes may discolor slightly overnight. While oven is preheating, bring casserole to room temperature on the counter top, then bake as directed above.
- Bake ahead: Casserole can be baked, cooled, and stored in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat entire baked casserole, bake, covered, at 350F for 30 minutes, or until heated through in the middle.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for including the weight for the potatoes! Other recipes give cups or a count, as though potatoes are all the same cut or size! This recipe looks delicious - I’ll try it this week! 🙂