Potato and Ham Bake

Yesterday, Steph picked out a list of recipes for us to try this week, all of which come from BHG. Among the list was a dish from the casserole section called Potato and Ham Bake. You had me at Potato and Ham. Upon further reading, I discovered that the recipe also contained a substantial amount of asparagus. ONE POUND for a 4-serving casserole! Those who know me well know that voluntarily eating a quarter-pound of asparagus is quite the accomplishment. However, I was promised ham, potato and what sounded like a fine cheese sauce in return so I guess I'd deal with it.

In this dish, you slice and cook some potatoes until just tender and then layer them in a casserole dish with ham, asparagus and a cheese sauce. This will then bake for about half an hour. We lazily used the pre-cubed ham. The cheese sauce is cream cheese with milk, Parmesan, pepper and tarragon. I have never cooked with tarragon before. I had only subconsciously heard of it and I thought it sounded a little like a character from Game of Thrones or something.

The Great Lord Tarragon shows no mercy! 

(Disclaimer: I've never seen/read Game of Thrones. I don't know who this is. I googled "Game of Thrones Lord" and this stoic fellow came up. He looks like he could be Lord Tarragon.)

Well anyway...I thought the tarragon in this recipe was noticeable and amazing. It made the dish quite flavorful. We used fresh tarragon, not the dried stuff. Steph and I loved the dish! We both had seconds. We actually have some leftovers for tomorrow; this is probably because Connor wasn't as enthusiastic about dinner as he was last night. He enjoyed the ham and potatoes, and while he gave the asparagus a chance, he eventually spit it out. Here are two mouth-watering shots of the casserole...one before baking and one after.

Makes 4 servings

1 lb sliced potatoes (I peeled ours)
1 8-oz tub light cream cheese spread with chive and onion
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp snipped fresh tarragon or
   1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crushed
8 oz cooked boneless ham, cut into bite-size cubes
1 lb fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces

1) Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 1 1/2 quart or 2 quart baking dish. In a medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered, in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes or just until tender. Drain; transfer to medium bowl.

2) In same saucepan, combine cream cheese, milk, 2 tbsp of the Parmesan, and the pepper. Heat and whisk until smooth and cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in tarragon.

3) Layer half of the potatoes, ham, asparagus, and cheese sauce in baking dish. Repeat layers with remaining potatoes, ham, asparagus, and cheese sauce. Cover with foil.

4) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, add remaining Parmesan and bake uncovered another 10-12 minutes until heated through.