Preheat oven to 400°. Butter the inside of a 2 quart casserole dish. In a skillet, sauté the onions in one tablespoon of butter until they are softened and just starting to brown on the edges. Place the onions on a plate. Layer half of the sliced potatoes in the bottom of your buttered casserole dish and season with a pinch of salt. There is plenty of salt in the cheesy sauce, but we season all the layers of our food, don’t we? Scatter half the onions on top, followed by half of the diced ham. Set it all aside for now.

In the same skillet that you sautéed the onions, melt 3 tablespoon of butter. Add 3 tablespoon of flour and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes. The texture will be like wet sand and the color will darken a bit. Continuing to whisk, pour in the milk or half and half and cook until the mixture has thickened and is just beginning to bubble. Turn off the heat and add in all but ¼ cup of the cheese, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Reserve the rest of the cheese for later. Don’t pick at it. Stop it.

Pour half of the cheese mixture over the top of your first potato, onion, and ham layer. Repeat with a second layer: potatoes, pinch of salt, onions, ham, and finally the cheese sauce. Cover the dish tightly with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Uncover the dish and sprinkle with the last of the cheese that you definitely did not eat, and finish baking for 30 more minutes or until bubbly and browned and that piece of potato you stole (and waited to cool) is tender. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley if you’re feeling fancy. Allow to cool and settle down for about 15 minutes. Take some pictures of it and taunt friends and family with your piping hot cheese potatoes. Enjoy your superiority and your cheesy potatoes. 😎