Dear Reader,
Monday, the 26th, at midnight was the deadline for entering this year's Write a DearReader Contest. But the tropical storm and the hurricane have made it impossible for many readers to finish their entries. (I know my husband and I are exhausted from boarding up our 100 year old house.) So I'm extending the contest deadline to October 11th. Stay safe.
You'll find all the contest info, including last year's winning entries at: http://www.dearreader.com/contest2022/index.html
It's another form of meditation--making scalloped potatoes. Not only does my recipe make a tasty casserole, that keeps for days, but cooking the white sauce from scratch, standing at the stove and continually stirring so the sauce doesn't burn--it relaxes me. There's no rushing the sauce; there's nothing I can do but wait for the sauce to do its thing. If I turn up the heat, the sauce burns. So I must be patient, slow down, and enjoy the moment.
You'll love this casserole and you can double it, too--no problem.
Scalloped Potatoes with (or without) Ham
2 lbs potatoes (translated 5 or 6 medium potatoes)
4 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 medium onion,
chopped Leftover ham, or 3 or 4 slices, or ham from a ham steak
Peel potatoes and cut into thin slices enough to measure 4 cups. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan over low heat until melted. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. (This is the therapy part of the recipe.) Then remove from heat. Stir in the milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute.
Grease a two-quart casserole. Arrange three layers in the casserole: potatoes, onion, ham and some of the white sauce. Repeat this two more times. Dot the top with the remaining one tablespoon of butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake 60 to 70 minutes longer until the potatoes are tender. You'll get six very healthy servings. Enjoy!
Remember, the mantra, 'Slow down or burn the sauce.'
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
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