Ham & Potato Casserole

I like easy dishes that I can prepare in advance and this is one of them. For a stay-at-home mom like myself, it is always impossible to do anything in the kitchen continuously especially when my little tot is awake. So I prepared this Ham and Potato Casserole while my son was napping; kept it in the fridge and just popped it in the oven just before dinner.

HAM & POTATO CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb left-over ham, cubed
3-4 thinly sliced, peeled potato, parboiled
1 cup shredded carrots
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp chopped onions
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 Tbsp melted margarine
1/8 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place half of the potato and half of the carrots in a Pam-sprayed 2 quarts casserole dish.
2. Combine ham, soup, half of cheese, milk, onions and pepper. Pour half of the mixture over the potatoes and carrots. Repeat layers.
3. Combine crumbs, remaining cheese and melted margarine. Sprinkle over the casserole.
4. Bake until heated through approximately 45 minutes.

KITCHEN TIP #7:
PARBOIL means to cook partially by boiling for a brief period.
The length of time in parboiling potatoes really depends on the size
but the rule of thumb is:
5-6 minutes for small potatoes;
6-7 minutes for medium potatoes;
and 8-9 minutes for large potatoes.

Shepherd's Pie

One of the sweet things that my hb does is he lets me rest on weekends in terms of cooking meals. He likes to cook breakfast and Saturday night dinners. Two weekends ago he made this Shepherd's Pie, one of his fave dishes that I learned to like myself. Hb is a Brit and this is a famous English dish, so no surprise there ;-).

SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 pcs medium potato
1 2/3 cups milk
2 Tbsps butter
1 tsp salt, divided
1 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 jar (12 ounces) beef gravy
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel, cube and boil potatoes until tender. Mash with 1/2 tsp salt, whole milk and butter. Add more or less milk depending on the desired thickness or creaminess. Set aside.
2. Preheat broiler. In a separate skillet, brown meat on medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat. Drain drippings. Sprinkle meat with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add gravy and vegetables; mix well. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until hot.
4. Pour in a broiler-proof baking dish and even out. Spoon prepared potatoes on top of the meat mixture and sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
5. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source 3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and meat mixture is bubbly.