Title: Granny's Ham and Potato Gratin for a Crowd
 Categories: Pork
      Yield: 3 servings
 
     10 lb "boiling" potatoes
           Salt
      8 c  Garlic and mustard sauce
      5 oz Butter
      1 c  All-purpose flour
  6 1/2 c  Hot milk
           Salt and freshly ground
           -pepper
      1 pn Nutmeg
      2 lg Cloves of garlic, pureed
    1/4 c  Dijon-type prepared mustard
    1/2 ts Thyme or sage
      4 c  Coarsely grated cheese *
  1 1/2 qt To 2 qts cooked ham **
 
  * Swiss or a mixture such as Swiss, mozzarella, Jack, and/or Cheddar
  [I actually used all four kinds. Worked out okay.  S.C.] ** diced,
  thinly sliced, or ground (to make 6 to 8 cups)
  
  Here's my contribution to the thread on scalloped potatoes and ham.
  As far as I'm concerned, no others need apply.  This is the best I've
  ever tasted. It's from my new Julia Child book, "The Way to Cook".
  
  Also++since the recipe is for 18 to 24 servings++it'll give the folks
  with amount-converting recipe programs a chance to put them through
  their paces. ;-}
  
  Here is a great crowd pleaser, as well as a deliciously economical
  one that needs only a copious salad, a loaf of bread, and a jug of
  light red wine to make the meal.
  
  For 18 to 24 servings
  
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED:
  
  A food processor is useful for slicing and grating; and 8-quart
  covered kettle; a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, for the sauce; a
  buttered 6-quart baking dish about 3 inches deep, for the final dish
  
  THE POTATOES:
  
  Have ready the kettle containing 4 cups of cold water.  Peel the
  potatoes and slice them 1/4 inch thick, dropping them into the cold
  water to cover as you do so.  Cover the kettle, and bring to the
  boil. Uncover and boil slowly for 3 to 4 minutes, until barely cooked
  through++eat several slices to check.  Drain, cover the kettle again
  for 3 to 4 minutes to firm up the potato slices, then uncover.
  
  THE GARLIC AND MUSTARD SAUCE:
  
  Make the classic white sauce; cook the butter and flour together in
  the saucepan until they foam and froth for 2 minutes without
  coloring. Off heat pour in half the hot milk; whisk vigorously to
  blend as you pour in the rest; simmer for 3 minutes, stirring. Remove
  from heat and whisk in the seasonings; bring to the simmer again;
  taste carefully, and add additional seasonings to taste.  [I didn't
  type in the sauce referred to. It was essentially a longer version of
  what's given above along with tips on handling it.  S.C.]
  
  ASSEMBLING:
  
  Spoon a 1/16-inch layer of sauce on the bottom of the buttered baking
  dish. Set aside 3 cups of the sauce and 1 cup of the cheese for the
  topping. Now, to arrange everything in 4 layers, start with a quart
  of the potatoes, then a quarter of the ham, follow by a third of the
  sauce and sprinkle on a third of the cheese.  Continue in layers,
  finishing the final layer with the remaining potatoes and ham; spread
  on the reserved 3 cups of sauce to cover completely, then the last of
  the cheese.
  
  AHEAD OF TIME NOTE:  May be prepared a day in advance, cover when
  cool and refrigerate.
  
  An hour or so before you plan to serve, preheat the oven to 375f.
  
  Bake in the upper third level just until the potatoes are bubbling
  hot and the top has browned nicely.  About 45 minutes.
  
  AHEAD OF TIME NOTE:  May be kept warm uncovered on a hot tray but be
  sure not to overheat or the potatoes and ham will dry out.
  
  From "The Way to Cook", Julia Child, Alfred Knopf, 1989 ISBN
  0-394-53264-3