Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes And Ham
Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes And Ham are an easy cheesy side dish! Free up the oven for the main dish and serve melt in your mouth potatoes.
Servings: 8
Calories: 223kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup/250 ml heavy cream Note 1
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder Note 2
- 1 teaspoon onion powder Note 3
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme Note 4
- ½ teaspoon salt Note 5
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 5
- 6 large potatoes Note 6
- 4 cups diced ham Note 7
- 1 cup cheese Note 8
To serve
- parsley stems removed, leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- White sauce: add the heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt and pepper to a medium size jug and use a mini whisk to stir and combine. Then place in the fridge until 10 - 15 minutes before adding to the recipe.
- Potatoes: use a vegetable peeler to peel the potato skins and discard. Then use a mandolin or knife to thinly slice the potatoes into slices.
- Grease: use a little bit of olive oil and a folded piece of paper towel and grease the base and sides of the slow cooker insert.
- Layer: make a layer of the potato slices on the base of the slow cooker. Then top this layer with a layer of the diced ham. Repeat the layers till you have used up all of the potatoes and ham, finishing with a layer of potatoes on top.
- Cook: now place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook the scalloped potatoes and ham for 3 hours on high heat or 7 hours on low heat to start with. 10-15 minutes before this time is reached, removed the cream sauce from the fridge. At the 3 hour mark (high) or 7 hour mark (low) remove the lid from the slow cooker and pour in the creamy sauce. Then put the lid back on for 30 minutes. Next at the 3 ½ hour (high) or 7 ½ hour (low) heat, remove the lid and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the potatoes. Put the lid back on and let the cheese melt and cook for a final 15 - 30 minutes.
- To serve: once the scalloped potatoes have finished cooking, remove the lid and let them sit for 10 - 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Then sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the top of the cheese. Use a wooden spoon to portion onto plates.
Notes
- Note 1- Cream: we want to use heavy cream for the recipe. We use this to make a sauce and add some seasoning to it for extra flavor. To ensure that the cream doesn't split, we add it towards the end of the cook time.
- Note 2 - Garlic powder: an excellent pantry staple that is so versatile and works across many recipes.
- Note 3 - Onion powder: as above. Easy to use and handy to have in the cupboard. These 2 get stirred into cream as a means to add flavor to the sauce. If you want to add some diced onion to the potatoes, you can. In which case, I would omit the onion powder from the cream sauce.
- Note 4 - Dried thyme: an aromatic herb which works well to add flavor but not over power the dish.
- Note 5 - Salt and pepper: we use a little bit of salt and black pepper for seasoning in the recipe.
- Note 6 - Potatoes: large potatoes are easier to cut into thin slices than small ones. We want to use 6 for the recipe. White washed potatoes are a great choice. Peeled red potatoes, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes will also work.
- Note 7 - Ham: chunks of diced ham work very well! Which means you can use leftover glazed ham if you wish too. Or ham steaks that you dice or diced bacon (equivalent amount).
- Note 8 - Cheese: I like to use colby cheese for the recipe. It melts well and has a great 'cheese pull to it'. We need about 1 cup and this gets sprinkled over the potatoes right towards the end of the cook time. You can also use cheddar cheese, tasty cheese or a store bought blend of shredded cheese. Or you can also sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano cheese over the 1st layer of cheese for an extra bold flavor.
- Note 9 - Parsley: optional, but a great way to garnish the dish for serving. You can also use chopped chives if you wish too.
Nutrition
Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 989mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 584IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 1mg