Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

I got this recipe from Coleen's Recipes who got it from Carries Cooking and Recipes who got it from Melissa d'Arabian, winner of The Next Food Network Star. And not one of our recipes are the same... we all tweaked it! But 'tis the nature of recipes. While my version didn't turn out exactly as I planned/hoped, it was really delicious and we'll be making it again.

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced very small
1 cup ham, chopped very small
1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
Heavy cream (2 Tbsp per serving)

Although this makes 12 individual cheesy ham & potato servings, it could easily be cut down to serve only 2 people by halving the recipe. An adult can easily eat 2 servings. And they warm up well for the next day.

Directions:

Chop potatoes very small.

Add ham.

Add cheese.Mix all together.Spray muffin tins with Pam. Spoon potato/ham/cheese mixture into each cup.Using a Tbsp, pour 2 Tbsp into each cup. Cover with foil. And bake for 20 minutes at 375. You will want a cookie sheet on the bottom rack because some of the cream will boil over (but only a little). After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. At the last 5 minutes, put the oven on HI broil. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from muffin tin with a spoon.

Now, here is where mine went awry. Mine did not solidify into little cake-like potato patties like Coleen's. I think my potatoes may have needed to be a little smaller, maybe somewhere between chopped and shredded. But they still tasted so wonderful. I'll still be making them again. I ended up scooping them all out and putting them in a dish and serving it that way. It was okay. I was disappointed in the presentation but the taste was so good I didn't really care anymore. And I really liked the potatoes being cut up so small. My family absolutely loved them. We served them with chicken, but they'd be a great side dish for any meal. I also think they'd be great served at breakfast as well. They are super easy and all in one dish. That's my kind of meal!