Ham Casserole

Unimaginative Name

I remembered eating this dish when I was growing up. As far as I could recall, it was okay. However, the idea of testing it didn't excite me. The name was uninteresting and the ingredients were basic. Also, the recipe was vague. It said to "brown ham slices," but it didn't say what kind of ham slices or how many. I wondered if I should wait until Easter when we usually had leftovers, so I turned to the person who used to be the source of all knowledge for me for her opinion.   

Me: What did Grandma do for the ham in this dish?  

My mother: We killed a pig. 

Okaaaay. Killing a pig was definitely out of the question, and I didn't want to wait until Easter, so I bought a ham steak instead.  

Most of the options were between three-quarters of a pound and a pound, so that answered the question of how much ham to use. With that matter settled, I was ready to make Ham Casserole. 

How to make Ham Casserole

The recipe says to "lightly brown" the ham slices, so I removed the packaging and set to work making the ham steak brownable. That meant cutting out the bone, removing as much of the fat as possible, and portioning it into smaller sections that would fit into my nonstick skillet. 

I added the ham slices to a skillet on medium heat and began browning them. I wasn't sure why this was necessary but I did as I was told.

While I was at it, I figured I might as well start on the sauce. But dividing my attention resulted in ham that was more than "lightly" browned. After it was cool enough to handle, I cut the now well-browned ham into bite-sized chunks. 

As for the sauce, this was one of two places I deliberately diverged from the recipe. It called for two tablespoons of melted shortening, but I opted for a healthier alternative in olive oil. 

To the oil, I added flour, milk, and cream of chicken soup (another divergence from the recipe). I cooked and stirred this mixture until it began to bubble. 

The vegetables were next. I used my handy dandy chopper (not an affiliate link) to quickly dice both the potatoes and the carrots. 

The next step was to layer the ingredients in a baking dish. I chose my Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef for the job because it had a lid. However, I was sure that any of my 9 x 13-inch baking dishes topped with foil would also have worked. I layered the ingredients like this: vegetables, ham, vegetables, ham, vegetables. However, a look at the jumbled result told me I might as well have just mixed everything together.  

After smoothing the sauce over the top, I placed the lid on the baker and put it in the oven, which had been preheated to 375 degrees. I worried that the temperature might be too high, but time would tell. 

When I removed the dish from the oven two hours later, it did look well done. 

I decided that a sprinkling of cheese might improve its appearance, but it still wasn't very eye-catching. That's the problem with casseroles. They aren't pretty, no matter which angle you take the picture from. The more important question was, how would it taste? 

The verdict

Even before we got to the tasting part, my mother told me what I'd done wrong: "Grandma sliced her potatoes." 

Oh. Oops. I suppose the layering would have been more obvious with sliced potatoes. Ah well, I spooned some on my plate, took a bite, and . . . wow. I was not expecting that. 

The ham was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the vegetables were infused with a smoky, salty savor that was so much better than I remembered. Like, where-have-you-been-for-the-past-thirty-five-years-of-my-life good. 

So, here's what you're going to do. You're not going to wait until Easter for leftover ham (although, I'm already dreaming of leftover Honey Baked Ham in this casserole). You're going to run down to the store, buy a ham steak, and put this together. You're going to taste it, and together we will come up with a new name for this dish. I'm thinking Out of this World Ham Casserole. Or Don't Wait until Easter Ham Casserole. 

So now that you know your assignment, click on the upper right-hand corner of the recipe below to download or print it out. And then, let's talk.