ham and potato casserole

tonight i wasn't really sure what to make for dinner. i've been too busy to meal plan (really, it's WAY easier if you meal plan, but i've not made it a priority) and life has pretty much been hell on earth since the middle of january.

i stared at the fridge to see what i had on hand. i had a bunch of leftover ham. i knew i had some frozen hash browns on hand. i looked to see if i had some cheese...and all i had were some american singles, white and yellow. one brand claimed to be "swiss," but i really think it's just white american cheese.

so, i whipped up a little ham and potato casserole...and it was a huge hit with tha family, if i do say so myself. don't laugh at the ingredients...it is what i had.

also, take caution with the salt. i thought it turned out a bit salty, probably from the ham. you'll have to adjust based on the cure of the ham and your preference for salt.

ham and potato casserole

*1 32-oz. bag southern style (square cut) frozen hash browns
*2-3 cups diced ham
*1/2 stick of butter (4 T)
*1/4 cup flour
*2 T dried chopped onions (i was way too lazy to just cut up a real onion)
*1 T dried parsley
*1 1/2 cups milk (i wish i could have used 2, but 1 1/2 was all we had!)
*4 slices white american cheese
*2 slices yellow american cheese
*1/2 cup sour cream
*1 can cream of chicken soup
*pepper
*garlic powder
*salt to taste (be careful!)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. spray a 9x13 pan with pam. melt butter in a medium saucepan with onions. stir in flour, pepper and garlic powder, whisk until it's thick and bubbly. gradually add the milk, stirring to prevent lumpage. (ha ha! lumpage!) cook until nice and thick. turn heat down to low, add cheese. let the cheese melt, stir occassionally. when the cheese is melted, remove pan from heat, stir in sour cream and cream of chicken soup.

in a large bowl, combine hash browns, ham and parsley. pour sauce over top, stir to combine. spread into the baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 60 mins or until hot and bubbly.

jake LOVED this - he ate three plates.