Ham and Cheesy Scalloped Potato Casserole

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.

You know you’re going to eat them sometime. Potatoes that is. I just hope you’ll only do it on special occasions. Maybe once a month instead of the 12-14 times a month I used to do. I have done things to this casserole to make the potatoes healthier. I added a layer of cheese on the top, and I used plenty of butter and cream in the recipe. The more fat you add to potatoes when you cook them, the less of a sugar spike they will cause when you eat them. The fat is good for you. I am also going to suggest that you cook this the day before you eat it if you can. Reason is, the potatoes will develop what is called resistant starch if you totally chill them for hours before you eat them. That means they won’t spike your blood sugar anywhere near as much. If you are Type 2 Diabetic this is especially important. If you have leftovers, know the next day they will be healthier to eat. Just reheat covered, and serve.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbl butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (roughly 1/3 cup)
• 1 Tbl all-purpose flour (This is a very small amount. You don’t need much to thicken the sauce. The cream will help thicken it too.)
• ½ tsp grated sea salt
• ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• 4- 5 cups potatoes, thinly sliced. Use little red potatoes, fingerlings or Yukon Gold. These will give you the lowest level of carbohydrates. You do not have to peel the potatoes; wash thoroughly. There are more nutrients in the skins than the flesh.
• 1 cup chopped breakfast ham
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cup of shredded Gruyere

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ x 9” casserole with cooking spray.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Heat again until boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
Spread half of the potatoes in casserole. Top with the ham bits. Layer on the rest of the potatoes. Pour sauce over potatoes. Sprinkle the two cheeses over the top.
Bake uncovered for an hour or until potatoes are tender. Peek and see if they are getting too browned at the 45 minute point. If they are, cover with foil. When you take them out of the oven, let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken and you won’t burn your mouth this way).
Enjoy!

Cheers,