Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender. Drain and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining butter (reserving 1 tablespoon), the half-and-half (as needed), and salt and pepper and mash until smooth.
⢠Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Top the lamb mixture in the Dutch oven with the mashed potatoes. Cut the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small bits and scatter over the potatoes. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Serve hot.
Prairie-style satisfaction: butter, potatoes, ham . . . in a casserole. Do not ask why; merely ask, why not?
Serves 6 to 8
----
6 to 8 russet potatoes
¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups (600 ml) warm milk
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 to 1½ pounds (455 to 680 g) ham, cubed
⢠Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 2-quart (2-L) casserole dish.
⢠Cut the potatoes into thin slices to measure about 4 cups (960 ml; I use a mandoline for this).
⢠Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the milk. Return the pan to the stove and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir for about 1 minute.
⢠Arrange the potatoes in the casserole dish in layers, topping each layer of potatoes with some of the onion, white sauce, and ham. End with a layer of potatoes and dot the top layer with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
⢠Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 60 to 70 minutes longer, until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
The later years of
Little House
were an odd time for me and for the rest of the cast. We were all young in real life, yet we were getting hitched and having babies on screen. Laura married Almanzo, Mary married Adam, and even Nellie and Willie managed to tie the knot (not to each other! Ew!) in some pretty classic episodes. But I have to be perfectly honest: Once I turned seventeen in real life and had my first boyfriend, prairie life began to lose its charm. I wanted to be cool, cut my hair so I looked like everybody else, and hang out with my friends. You know, do teenager stuff. Instead, I was stuck with my hair parted in the middle and all one length, and I spent the majority of my time in pantaloons and lace-up granny boots.
Looking back now, and having performed in the
Little House on the Prairie
musical as an adult, I totally get the charm of the pantaloons, boots, andpetticoats. The âprairie nakedâ look can be very appealing on a woman of a certain age! (Yes, I mean me!) That said, when I was seventeen, in 1981, prairie wear was just not coolâunless it was designed by Ralph Lauren, and even then, there was no way Iâd wear that stuff in public. I was trying to have a private life, which was already impossible. So I rebelled a bit: tight jeans, cut-up T-shirts. And I even started sneaking a little Sun-In in my hair. If youâre old enough to remember that stuff, welcome to my generation. My hair was naturally aubern-y red, and the Sun-In turned it a lovely shade of orange. Looking back, this rebellion seems really mild. The part that was really hard was that I really didnât want to go to work every single day. I wanted playtime, freedom with my boyfriend (whatâs-his-name), and my car.
Still, I showed up, suited up, and managed to have some amazing times. It never failed to amaze me that no matter how much I didnât want to go, once I got to work I was completely at home. That set was my happy place. Itâs where I felt safe and loved, even in the heated emotional and brutal heart of adolescence.
It seemed as if
Little House
would never endâthat it would go
⢠Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Top the lamb mixture in the Dutch oven with the mashed potatoes. Cut the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small bits and scatter over the potatoes. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Serve hot.
Prairie-style satisfaction: butter, potatoes, ham . . . in a casserole. Do not ask why; merely ask, why not?
Serves 6 to 8
----
6 to 8 russet potatoes
¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups (600 ml) warm milk
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 to 1½ pounds (455 to 680 g) ham, cubed
⢠Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 2-quart (2-L) casserole dish.
⢠Cut the potatoes into thin slices to measure about 4 cups (960 ml; I use a mandoline for this).
⢠Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the milk. Return the pan to the stove and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir for about 1 minute.
⢠Arrange the potatoes in the casserole dish in layers, topping each layer of potatoes with some of the onion, white sauce, and ham. End with a layer of potatoes and dot the top layer with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
⢠Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 60 to 70 minutes longer, until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
The later years of
Little House
were an odd time for me and for the rest of the cast. We were all young in real life, yet we were getting hitched and having babies on screen. Laura married Almanzo, Mary married Adam, and even Nellie and Willie managed to tie the knot (not to each other! Ew!) in some pretty classic episodes. But I have to be perfectly honest: Once I turned seventeen in real life and had my first boyfriend, prairie life began to lose its charm. I wanted to be cool, cut my hair so I looked like everybody else, and hang out with my friends. You know, do teenager stuff. Instead, I was stuck with my hair parted in the middle and all one length, and I spent the majority of my time in pantaloons and lace-up granny boots.
Looking back now, and having performed in the
Little House on the Prairie
musical as an adult, I totally get the charm of the pantaloons, boots, andpetticoats. The âprairie nakedâ look can be very appealing on a woman of a certain age! (Yes, I mean me!) That said, when I was seventeen, in 1981, prairie wear was just not coolâunless it was designed by Ralph Lauren, and even then, there was no way Iâd wear that stuff in public. I was trying to have a private life, which was already impossible. So I rebelled a bit: tight jeans, cut-up T-shirts. And I even started sneaking a little Sun-In in my hair. If youâre old enough to remember that stuff, welcome to my generation. My hair was naturally aubern-y red, and the Sun-In turned it a lovely shade of orange. Looking back, this rebellion seems really mild. The part that was really hard was that I really didnât want to go to work every single day. I wanted playtime, freedom with my boyfriend (whatâs-his-name), and my car.
Still, I showed up, suited up, and managed to have some amazing times. It never failed to amaze me that no matter how much I didnât want to go, once I got to work I was completely at home. That set was my happy place. Itâs where I felt safe and loved, even in the heated emotional and brutal heart of adolescence.
It seemed as if
Little House
would never endâthat it would go
Similar Books
