Scalloped Potatoes

What to do with leftover ham? I have written several recipes for leftover ham, but our all-time favorite is Scalloped Potatoes.

 

We come from differing views on Scalloped Potatoes. Scott prefers them with Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup and huge chunks of cheese. My mom made them with Condensed Cream of Celery Soup. My friend Kathi made them with white sauce. I think we all agree that the packaged versions are good only in a pinch! Everyone agrees that bits of ham make them a good deal better!

 

In our quest to make Scalloped Potatoes a healthier dish: less sodium, less fat; we have tried the healthier choice of condensed soups. Not too bad, just use evaporated 2% or skim milk and the flavor improves.

 

My current choice is to make a white sauce and add celery, onion, and mushroom to improve the overall flavor.

Recipes, Our Heritage

Nate requested I share Selene’s recipe for Cheesy Potato Soup when I wrote my Chowder Head post. I called Selene to get the full recipe; she was excited to see it published! She got the recipe from a friend’s older sister. It is rich and filling, Scott calls it ‘Heart Attack Potato Soup.’ While searching for another recipe, I found her original handwritten directions. I will save them with all our recipe boxes.

While I have pared down my recipe book collection, I did save all the handwritten recipes from my MIL and her mother. I have one of Great-Grandma Pearl’s cookbooks, with notes and recipes in her own hand. I also have a Watkins recipe book from the ‘30’s that my MIL Pat wrote in as a child. Then, there is Grandma Lee’s recipe box with recipes from her, her mom Pearl, and her daughter Pat.

Hamburger Gravy over Mashed Potatoes

One of the best dishes our school cafeterias put out was Hamburger Gravy over Mashed Potatoes. They served it with sauerkraut. Hey, it was still the ‘50’s/’60’s and people are differently then.

We were allowed to eat one ‘hot lunch’ a week. Otherwise, Mom made us cold lunches. At first she sent milk in a thermos but we liked buying our milk. I guess it made us feel more independent. Or maybe we were embarrassed to be one of the few who brought milk from home. I remember milk was $.03 a day.
My favorite ‘hot lunch’ was HGoMP. When we tried to get Mom to make it at home, she never got it right. She always made . Sometimes she would crumble a hamburger patty into the gravy.
So I took over and got it right through trial and error.