Leftover creations after the holidays often come with memories. With ham remnants, my meal “go to” is an undocumented recipe that reminds me of my German Grandmother.
She raised my late Father and 3 other sons in a house with dirt floors, working long days at the local factory to keep food the table.
Grandma Connie would grab several potatoes, peel and slice them thin, throw in canned creamed corn, cheese, onions, then cook to a bubbly hot mess.
The primitiveness of this dish always filled my stomach and I remember falling asleep for my scheduled nap, one of my earliest memories likely around age 3.
I add my own embellishments like fresh herbs, seasonings, and homemade creamed corn.
- 5 large russet potatoes peeled and sliced thin
- 3 cups of diced ham
- 2 cups corn
- 1 bag sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 package swiss cheese slices
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large onion, (sliced in half then sliced thin)
- 3 cloves garlic
- Handful of various herbs, thyme, rosemary, parsley chopped finely.
- TBSP butter or olive oil
- S/P and paprika (onion powder optional)
This recipe is layered like a lasagna. Any medium sized casserole dish is fine, coat the bottom and sides with butter or olive oil.
In a skillet, sauté the onions, garlic and herbs in a bit of olive oil (set aside a bit of the fresh herbs to garnish when serving).
As far as the corn in concerned, you can buy some organic frozen corn and dethaw it.
I put ½ of the corn in a blender and pulsed with a bit of cream, garlic and herbs then mixed it together with the other kernels.
Now it’s time to layer the dish. First a layer of potatoes, handful of shredded cheese, a few slices of Swiss (you can skip that or use another like muenster, or provolone).
Then layer the ham, onion/garlic herb mixture, corn, all the while sprinkling a bit of S/P, paprika and parm.
This should be around 3 layers depending on the casserole dish size, top with parmesan and even a ½ cup of broth or half & half if you have it.
Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour until bubbly and top is crispy. Serve with remaining fresh herbs and calorie blinders.
