Gratin d'asperges, jambon, et pommes de terre

For lunch yesterday I made an asparagus and ham tarte (or gratin) with a potato "crust". Walt, who usually makes a pastry crust (pâte brisée) for pies like this, was busy putting up new curtains in our living room, so I stepped into the breach. He had cooked a dozen or so big white asparagus spears a day or two earlier and put them in the refrigerator. We had ham, cream, cheese, and what was left of a bag of nice locally grown potatoes.

     After peeling the potatoes and cooking them in a steamer pot, I cut them into fairly thick slices. Then I lined
the bottom and sides of a buttered baking dish with them. Over them I poured a custard mixture of
cream, eggs, and grated cheese, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of grated nutmeg.

Then I rolled bundles of cooked white asparagus spears (a local specialty) in slices of cooked ham. You can use either "sandwich" ham (jambon de Paris) or proscuitto-style air-cured ham (jambon sec) for a dish like this. You could make it with green aspargus, of course, if that's what you prefer.

     Arrange the ham-wrapped bundles on top of the custard mixture in a the baking dish and sprinkle grated Parmesan
or Romano cheese over them. Cook the gratin in a hot oven for about half an hour until the custard is cooked
and the grated cheese on top starts to brown. Serve hot — one bundle per person.