Ham in Potato Jackets

Ham in potato jackets is finger food with backbone. Small new potatoes get boiled, halved, and hollowed slightly to make tiny edible cups. Each one gets a dab of mustard-spiked butter-and-sour-cream filling, a heap of diced ham, and a snowdrift of sharp cheddar.

The whole thing goes back into a hot oven just long enough for the cheese to bubble and brown. The potato skin crisps slightly on the bottom while the filling stays creamy, the ham warms through, and the cheddar hits that golden bubbling stage that signals dinner is ready.

Use leftover Easter or holiday ham for a smart day-after lunch, or grab a thick slice from the deli counter and dice it yourself. Serve as a passed appetizer, a side dish next to soup, or a light dinner with a green salad.

Pro Tips

• Choose new potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook evenly and look uniform on the platter.
• Cook the potatoes only until tender, not falling apart. Overdone potatoes collapse when you scoop the centers and you’ll lose the cup shape.
• Save the scooped-out potato flesh and stir it into mashed potatoes or use it for potato pancakes the next day.
• Use a really sharp aged cheddar. The bigger the flavor, the better the contrast against the salty ham and starchy potato.

Variations

• Swap ham for crumbled cooked bacon or browned breakfast sausage.
• Use Gruyere or smoked Gouda in place of cheddar for a more sophisticated flavor profile.
• Top each potato half with a tiny dollop of sour cream and chopped chives just before serving for a loaded-baked-potato vibe.