Ham and Potatos

.....

Tuesday,
" October 3, 2023 "

        This recipe is actually a " combination " of two different recipes that I orginally found on the internet years ago.   Over time, " as always ", I modified this and that, added this and that, and so on, until this final recipe was actually born !
        This is one of our recipes that we have about " twice a month " during the fall and winter and it's a great " Comfort Food " !   There are multiple options you can try when making this ..... See the recipe below for more.

  2 - Tablespoons of butter
  1 - small onion  ~  ( chopped - Optional ~ but better with )
          ( You can also use 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder instead )
  2 - 14 ^1/5 oz. cans of diced new potatos  -  ( We actually use fresh peeled potatos  -  See " Tip #1 " for more ! )
  2 - 10 ^1/5 oz. cans of cream of potato soup  ~  ( We use Campbell's )
  2 - 8 oz. slices of ham  ~  ( diced - or 2 cups of leftover ham )
  1 - 8 oz. container of sour cream
  1 - 8 oz. packages of fresh shredded sharp cheddar chesse  -  ( divided )
  1/2 - cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese  -  ( or 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese )
  1/2 - cup of buttery crackers ( such as "Ritz" ) for topping   -  ( crushed - Optional ~ but better with )
  Cooking Spray  -  ( like Pam )
  Salt & Pepper  -  ( to taste )
  9" x 13" glass baking dish.

  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  In a large frying pan, melt the butter over low heat & saute the onions.
    ( If you are using the Onion Powder option simply add it to the melted butter and " go to step 4 ! " )

  Once onions are tender remove the pan from the heat.
  Add soup, diced ham, potatos, sour cream, 1 & 1/2 - cups of cheddar cheese, & all the parmesan cheese to pan.
  Gently mix all the ingredients in the pan until everything is mixed together well.
  Spray a 9" x 13" glass baking dish with the non-stick cooking spray.
  Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and top with 1/2 cup of remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes ....
  Remove from oven and sprinkle crushed crackers over the casserole ....
  Return to the oven for another 10 minutes to let crackers brown.
  Remove from oven and let it sit for about " 10 minutes " .... Then Enjoy !

        Yeah ..... peeling and cooking potatos does take longer ..... about 30 minutes or so.
        However we like the bigger chucks & the taste of fresh potatos ..... We always use " Yellow or Golden Potatos " since they hold up better than other potatos when being cooked twice.
        So we dice up about " 6 cups " ( around 2 pounds ) and then cook them until they are fork tender and then drain them and run cold water over them to stop the cooking .....
Idea for this Recipe :
Whenever I cook potatos or frozen veggies on the stove
I have started to use about
1/2 of a Tablespoon of
Morton's Nature Seasoning in the water !

The ingredients include:
salt, pepper, sugar, onion, garlic, parsley, & celery

or at
( russpickde@comcast.net )

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~