Witlof-Ham Schotel (Chicory-Ham Casserole)

Witlof-Ham Schotel or Chicory Ham Casserole‘s a dutch recipe. Usually prepared with either mashed potatoes or parboiled potatoes on the side but I made this with parboiled potatoes as a base. It’s a family favourite.. 🙂

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized chicory
12 pieces sliced cooked ham
12 slices of sliced cheese, any kind, the size of chicory
2/3 of 1 courgette, sliced into 12 pieces (the length of chicory) – optional
1 packet 250ml White Sauce (I always use Knorr’s Spring Onion Garlic Sauce)
350g potatoes
100 g grated cheese
abt 3 tbsp breadcrumbs, more if u like a crunchy top

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease a rectangular casserole dish with some butter all over.
Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks, put into a pot, cover with enough water. Bring to a boil and cook with some salt for abt 6-8 mins. Drain well and transfer boiled potatoes to casserole dish.
Cut chicory into quarters, lengthwise, put into a pot, cover with enough water with some salt. Bring to a boil and cook for abt 2 mins. Drain but keep 250ml water for making sauce.
Prepare a clean cutting block. Place a piece of cooked ham on it, then 1 piece of cooked chicory, 1 piece of sliced cheese and/or a piece of courgette.

Roll ham up tightly.

Continue making the rolls till finished and put de rolls side by side on top of potatoes in casserole dish.

Make the sauce according to instructions on the packet and using the saved water from cooking the chicory. Pour the sauce evenly/equally on top of the rolls.
Sprinkle grated cheese and then breadcrumbs all over top of sauce and rolls.

Put into oven and bake for 25-30 mins till it’s bubbling a little and cheese/breadcrumbs’ golden brown.

Serve immediately. It would be more than enough for 2 persons, as it is. It’s a easy to prepare and a really good one-dish hassle-free warm meal on a cold wintery evening..