Ham and Potato Casserole

I have a complaint.

I love this casserole. It has less than 10 ingredients, and everybody eats it...and ham and potatoes and cheese were INVENTED to go together.

But...

To me, a casserole should take, like, 2 pots to make. Maybe a 2 pots and a bowl. And that is INCLUDING the casserole dish it's baked and served in.

This one takes too many pots.

See...there is the pot to cook the onion and celery. And the pot to make the white sauce. And the pot to boil the potatoes. And then there is the knife to dice everything and the grater for the cheese. And then there is the casserole dish.

I hate dishes.

But...

This casserole is good. It's basic. Although it takes lots of pots, it's not hard (if it was, I wouldn't post it). And it's comfort food.

Here in the jungle, we need A LOT of comfort.

It's scary, sometimes. There are strange noises, and weird crawly things, and people speak foreign languages.

So we need to be comforted.

Frequently.

And nothing does it better than...

Ham and Potato Casserole

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

4 TBS butter

4 TBS flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups of cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

3 pounds potatoes (use Yukon Gold and skip the peeling), diced

1. Put celery and onion in a pot and just cover with water. Boil until soft. Put potatoes in another pot and boil until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. While onions and celery and potatoes are cooking, in another pot, make a White Sauce with butter, flour, salt, and milk.

(Wait...you don't know how to make a white sauce? Oh, okay...melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until smooth. DO NOT BURN. Add salt. Add milk ALL AT ONCE, and stir slowly until thickened to desired consistency...for this recipe, aim for a medium thickness. Whatever you do...do not let boil.)

When white sauce is to desired consistency, add cheese, a little at a time, and stir until melted. Add more until sauce is cheesy.

3. Pour white sauce into pot with onions and celery...stir until smooth and creamy. Add more cheese if desired. Sauce should still be thick.

4. Combine potatoes and ham in casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over everything, and mix together thoroughly. Add additional cheddar cheese as a topping if desired.

5. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes for sauce to thicken. CAUTION!! HOT!!

Courtesy Deborah Noel of Plainfield, Illinois