Ham and potato casserole?

August 17, 2008 7:06 PM

What's your favorite recipe for ham and potato casserole that doesn't use milk or cream of mushroom soup as the binding agent?
posted by Janey Complainy to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Best answer: Is it those specific ingredients that are the problem? Because cream of celery soup or sour cream work great for people who don't like that mushroom flavor. But if it's the dairy that's problematic then there are some soy sour creams that are better than their soy/rice milk counterparts that might hold up well.
posted by French Fry at 7:44 PM on August 17, 2008

Chop ham, potatoes, and onion into equal size pieces. Cook ham to a brown and delicious state, then remove and cook potatoes and onion in extra fat if needed until they reach the same brown and delicious state. Mix everything together and press it all really firmly into the pan (really firmly) let it cook for a few minutes. Maybe broil it if you want. Then cut/scoop out and serve. Melt a slice of American or Cheddar cheese on top of each serving for added wonderfulness. No binder needed unless you want one. It's just another new texture/style to enjoy.
posted by Science! at 7:44 PM on August 17, 2008

Response by poster: Yes, French Fry, it's those specific ingredients: I'm trying to go a little easy on the dairy, and I just find cream of mushroom soup kind of gross. "Cream of" soups are probably fine--just not the two and a half cups of milk usually called for.

But cream of celery . . . hmmm. Could be good!

Keep 'em coming, MeFites!
posted by Janey Complainy at 7:52 PM on August 17, 2008

Hmmm. The tricky thing here is that unless you want a loose pile of ham and potatoes (like cheesy, hammy hashbrowns) you've got to bind it. Casseroles are almost defined by being bound with a creamy, dairy-y substance of one kind of another. I think cream of's are foul so I usually make my own sauce with roux, milk, and broth. It's not straight milk, but still quite milky.

This sort of thing isn't normally my bag, but maybe try blended silken tofu? It's got a creamy texture and lots of veg/vegan recipes use it in a creamy binding capacity.
posted by mostlymartha at 8:25 PM on August 17, 2008

Ever tried ham & cheese grits? (Or "polenta" if you prefer to call it that. Same thing. It's like a cornmeal porridge.) Very tasty. You could use the grits instead of the soup for a binder in your casserole. I don't have a recipe but what I've done is just make grits according to package instructions on the Quaker quick-grits box. Fry up some ham & onions like Science! suggested, throw it all together with the grits, salt & pepper or season salt, maybe add a handful of shredded cheddar cheese & mix it up. Toss a beaten egg or two in there if you want (not really necessary, but makes it sort of stick together more solidly and adds more protein). Put the mixture in a glass casserole dish then sprinkle more shredded cheese on top & bake @ 375 till browned. I haven't tried it with potatoes, but I can see pre-frying the taters till they're crisp and browned and adding them into the grits/ham/cheese mixture; I think that would add another interesting texture and more tastiness. I think I might try that this week. :-)
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 9:09 PM on August 17, 2008

Heck, you could even just use few plain beaten eggs as the binder if you want a really simple ham & potato dish; enough eggs to thoroughly coat the other ingredients when mixed together. You'd end up with a basic frittata-type dish after baking.
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 9:18 PM on August 17, 2008

Breadcrumbs would work as a binder.
posted by ShooBoo at 9:58 PM on August 17, 2008

Best answer: I can think of a couple options - you could do a "pasta e patate" dish which works really well with ham or bacon. Basically, you saute some ham, onions, celery and carrot together until the onions are translucent, throw in some tomato paste, some herbs and spices (oregano, basil, red pepper flakes), throw in a cubed potato or two along with some water or broth and cook the potatoes until they are very soft. Then, add the dry pasta directly into this dish and cook it until it is done. Keep adding hot water/broth if it is getting too thick, but the end result should be extremely thick. I think you'll find it delicious.

Alternatively, make a thick Italian style soup with vegetables, beans, ham and potatoes. Real rustic Italian soup can hold a spoon upright. There's nothing easier than starting off with the soffrito (a gently fried flavor base often consisting of onions, celery and carrots), adding broth and herbs and tomatoes to it and a bunch of fresh vegetables and potatoes and beans in the order that they cook. Swirl in some parmesan at the end. Delicious! If you're a recipe sort of person, just look for recipes that are called rustic, or that mention that the soup is very thick for an authentic Italian flavor. If you also swirl in a paste of crushed basil and garlic at the last moment you won't believe the explosion of flavor.
posted by Jupiter Jones at 9:35 AM on August 18, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone, for the great ideas! I tried French Fry's suggestion of sour cream (more easily digestible than milk), and it turned out yummy.
posted by Janey Complainy at 10:10 PM on August 21, 2008