Description
This ham and potatoes au gratin has delicious layers of thinly sliced potatoes, cream, smoky ham, flavorful gruyère, and fresh thyme.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and sliced with mandoline
- 6 oz. cooked Jones Dairy Farm ham, diced
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 8 oz. gruyère cheese, shredded by hand
- 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stem (about 1 tablespoon), plus more for garnish
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prep potatoes. Wash, dry, peel, and thinly slice potatoes using a mandoline slicer.
- Prep cream mixture. In a large glass measuring cup, melt butter. Stir in heavy cream and sea salt.
- Layer au gratin. In a generously buttered (or sprayed with cooking spray) 2.4 qt. baking dish, layer about 1/3 of the sliced potatoes so they are slightly overlapping each other in an even layer, 1/3 of the cream mixture, 1/3 of the diced ham, 1/3 of the thyme, and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat with the remaining two layers, but don’t add cheese to the top layer yet.
- Cover with foil and bake for 60-80 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Remove foil, top with remaining shredded cheese, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown. Garnish with thyme and serve with freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Follow recipe and bake for 60-80 minutes, without top layer of cheese on it. Cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Let cool completely, top with remaining cheese and thyme, and cover in aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Take out of fridge about an hour before cooking to come to room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-60 minutes, until heated through and cheese is golden brown.
- Storage: Store leftover au gratin potatoes and ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat leftover potatoes in a 350 degrees F oven, a hot skillet, or in the microwave until heated through.
- Ingredient notes: Use russet potatoes here as we want something basic with a lighter and fluffy texture, starchy potatoes work well. They become a bit softer when baked as opposed to waxy potatoes like Yukon Golds or red potatoes. We’ve used gruyère cheese for a creamy, but flavorful addition. You could use a different cheese, like Swiss, if you prefer, but I would recommend shredding the cheese yourself for the best quality and using the best cheese you can.
- Special tools: Large baking dish (9×13-inch), mandoline or sharp knife, large saucepan, whisk, measuring cups
- Serve with: Apricot glazed ham, roasted turkey, spinach salad, or French green beans.
- Inspired by: Julia Child’s Gratin Jurassien (Scalloped Potatoes with Heavy Cream and Cheese)
- For more family-friendly dinner ideas, check out my weeknight dinner playbook with recipes and weekly meal plans.