In the kitchen.....Cheesy mashed potato ham bake

For the very first time ever I am posting a recipe that I created!!!!  I am excited because creating something may be the part of the solution to my "I hate to cook dilemma."

I remember in my five or six year old mind my mother making something that she may have called ham and cheese casserole.  Now I was just a small child so maybe I am not remembering accurately.  Anyway I wanted to make something like what think I remember.  (My mom passed when I was 7 so I am not able to ask for a recipe.)  It was nice to put aside fears, and get things dirty and try to make something new but recreate a happy childhood memory at the same time.

The  ingredient list is as follows:

8-9 Russet potatoes (Mine were the Simply Perfect Russets from Walmart)
1 1/4 cup of milk
1 Tablespoon of season salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon of butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon of parsley
2 cups of cooked cubed ham 
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese


First cube potatoes then rinse and place in a large pot.  Cover the potatoes with water and bring the pot to a boil.  Reduce the heat a little and the potatoes should be tender in approximately 20 minutes. 

Once tender drain and add the potatoes, milk, salt, margarine, and parsley to a large mixing bowl.

(I mashed my potatoes using my grandmothers Oster mixing bowl she passed on to me, but you can mash your potatoes using whatever method is most familiar to you.)

Once potatoes are mashed with just stir in the 2 cups of cubed ham.  Spread all the ingredients into a glass 13 by 9 pan.  Spread the two cups of shredded cheese on top.

Bake at 400 for approximately 20 minutes.  You can bake longer if you want the cheese more crisp.

As with any recipe what my family and I like may not be exactly what you like.  This dish did have some robust flavor with the garlic and season salt.  If you don't like alot of salt or garlic, you may want to reduce the amount you put in.  We left the skin on our potatoes because we don't mind eating them that way and I am all for a little less work in the kitchen.  You can use your own mashed potato recipe as a base for this dish as well.

This dish was a super big hit with my husband.  My son asked for a little less cheese next time, so I may just cover half the dish with cheese and half without.  I served this as a main dish, but I am sure it could be a great side dish too.  It's a great way to use up left over ham.  This was more than enough for my family of four with some left over.  I am learning to make a little extra though each time I cook.  We can either eat the left overs for lunch or freeze them for a future meal.  That way I cook once but eat twice!!! A perfect win when being in the kitchen is not your favorite thing.


I am sharing with some other lovely ladies here: