Recipe: Cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham

We're not big casserole eaters at my house. My kids will usually pick at it when I serve one up and my husband wonders if the leftovers can be frozen for later.

But they always ask for seconds when I make this dish - cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham. I first made it a couple of years ago as I was looking for things to make during our annual stay with my grandparents in Indiana. This dish was something I could make parts of ahead of time before I had to stick it in the oven.

My grandparents loved it. I was delighted to see that my kids did too.

I created the recipe by using a basic recipe for scalloped potatoes from my dogeared Better Homes & Gardens "New Cook Book." Because I was adding ham to the casserole, I increased the amount of sauce. And I topped it with cheese.

Serves 6

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Make the sauce by cooking the onions in the butter until tender. Mix in the flour, salt, pepper and milk. Stir the mixture as it cooks until it's thick and bubbly. Once it gets to that point, take it off the heat.

Grease a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Mix together the sliced potatoes and ham. Put half of the potato and ham mixture in the dish. Cover it with half the sauce. Then put the rest of the potatoes and ham on top and pour on the rest of the sauce.

Top with the shredded cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. Let it stand for five or 10 minutes so it's not so runny when you serve it.