Scalloped Potatoes

On my dad's side of the family, they  grew up eating potatoes frequently. They grew potatoes, bought potatoes and had them more then once a week. A popular dish in my dad's household was scalloped potatoes. Now that my grandmother is 88, she only makes them from a box mix. 

Potatoes have been my favorite food ever since I was little. Whenever I am sick, I have mashed potatoes. When I had my wisdom teeth taken out, I ate mashed potatoes for a whole week! When I saw a recipe for scalloped potatoes in  Ree Drummonds book The Pioneer Women Cooks: A Year of Holidays , I knew that this would be the recipe I would love and want to make. 

First off, the recipe for this dish was:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing
1/2 yellow onion, dice
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 cups diced cooked ham
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

First, I chopped the onions "and place them in a pan over medium heat until they started to get soft" (Drummond 122).  Drummond suggested not letting  the onions get too soft because they will be going into the oven to cook more. (Drummond 123). Next, I added the flour to the onions and whisked them together so it made a little paste. It cooked until the paste turned a golden brown color.  After the paste turned golden brown I then added the half and half and the milk. I stirred this around for 3-4 minutes; then let is sit for a couple of minutes so I could cut the ham and potatoes.

Cutting the potatoes was the hardest part because they needed to be "sliced really thin using a mandoline" (Drummond 123). Since I didn't have the machine to use I had to use a sharp knife to cut the potatoes. The potatoes needed to be cut thinly because they needed to cook in the oven (Drummond 123). After cutting the potatoes, I chopped the ham into small cubes and grated the cheese. Then I buttered a baking dish and started to layer the potatoes, ham and cheese. To layer the dish you " add half the sliced potatoes and half the diced ham" (Drummond 123). Then add some of the cheese and about half the sauce from the pan (Drummond 123). Then you repeat until all the ingredients are used. A trick I learned was to cover the dish with foil to keep the top from getting too brown (Drummond 123). Lastly, I put the dish in the oven for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.

I paired it with a baked chicken and green beans and it was a delicious dinner. My family thought it was a great choice and they wanted me to make it again soon. It taught me a lot about how to make a thick cream sauce using the onion and flour mixture since that is used in a lot of recipes with a sauce. I would be interested in trying it again with a mandoline to see if it is easier to do with the potatoes.

My question for you is: What is a family recipe you would like to try and make yourself?

Citation: Drummond, Ree. A Year of Holidays. William Morrow Cook, 2013. Print.