Instructions: The ham is truly the friend of the poor. An 8-pound, bone-in ham will feed a family for a week. Sunday dinner, sandwiches, omelets, soup from the bone-and this truly fine, comforting hot dish.

1/2 lb. cooked ham, sliced thickly (this should be leftover home-baked ham, not
deli-sliced ham)

6-8 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup diced raw onion
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
approx. 2 cups whole milk
a little paprika for color

Butter a round casserole (hot dish) dish (or use a 9" souffle dish; the straight sides are an advantage). Set the oven to 350 degrees. Place a layer of potato slices in the dish and sprinkle it with a third of the onions, a little flour, a little nutmeg, and a little thyme. Dot with 1/3 of the butter and add a little salt and pepper. Layer half of the ham on top. Repeat the whole process, then top the second ham layer with a final layer of potatoes and seasonings.

Sprinkle a little paprika over the whole thing for color. Add milk until you can see it just about level with the potatoes. DO NOT cover the top layer of potatoes; you just want to glimpse the milk around the edges. Bake for an hour and a half.

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