You’ve been waiting for the sight of a dish like this all year long (or at least since you had your last comfort craving)! Ball Drop Gratin will stop you dead in your flavor tracks; savory ham, tender potatoes, and sweet peas covered in a sharp white cheddar sauce… what more do we have to say?! You will ooh and ahh over the grand finale when Ball Drop Gratin hits your dinner table. Let it light up your next dinner table!
Ingredients
For the gratin:
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 2 cups ham, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, can substitute 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder mixed with 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –In a single layer at the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, evenly add about 1/2 of the sliced potatoes.
Step 3 –Add the ham, the peas, and the onion over the potato layer.
Step 4 –Layer the remaining potato slices as evenly as possible over the ham mixture layer.
Step 5 –Set the dish aside.
Step 6 –In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
Step 7 –Add the garlic to the melted butter and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 8 –Add the flour to the garlic mixture and cook, while whisking, until a thick paste forms (similar to the consistency of cake frosting), about 1 minute.
Step 9 –Add the milk and the chicken broth to the garlic mixture and stir until the sauce is smooth and uniform.
Step 10 –Reduce the heat to medium.
Step 11 –Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, until thickened to the desired consistency, about 5 minutes.
Step 12 –Add the Italian seasoning and 1 cup of the white cheddar cheese to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
Step 13 –Add the salt and the black pepper to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
Step 14 –Evenly pour the sauce mixture over the potato mixture, making sure the potatoes are completely coated with the sauce mixture.
Step 15 –Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 50 minutes.
Step 16 –Discard the aluminum foil.
Step 17 –Evenly sprinkle the remaining white cheddar cheese over the top of the gratin.
Step 18 –Bake the gratin, uncovered, until the melted cheese turns golden-brown on top, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 19 –Transfer the gratin from the oven to the wire rack and let it cool, about 15 minutes.
Step 20 –Serve garnished with the parsley.
