Ham & Cheese Biscuits Recipe

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One morning I took a stroll through the infield at the Pocono Raceway with the charming and lovely Looie McNally, who runs the place. As we walked, an aproned woman appeared and presented us with a couple of these biscuit combos. They were wrapped in foil and still warm from the oven. "Nothing could have tasted better that morning!" The generous woman disappeared into a camper before we got her name. You will need access to an oven to make this recipe. If your camper doesn’t have one, you can make them at home and easily reheat them the next day at the track.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 c. all-purpose flour 
  • 3 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/4 c. cold butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1 c. less 2 T plain yogurt
  • 1/2 lb. smoked ham, slice medium thickness
  • 4 oz. Cheddar cheese, sliced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the bits of butter together with some flour until they divide and are the size of split peas.
  4. Stir the yogurt in to the flour/butter mixture until it just forms a ball. Knead briefly. It should be just the tiniest bit sticky.
  5. Transfer the dough to a cutting board or a clean work surface. Press the dough into a roughly 3/4-inch thick rectangle and cut into 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass. Transfer the rounds to an un-greased baking sheet.
  6. Gently shape the remaining dough into another rectangle and cut some more rounds. Repeat to use all the dough.
  7. Bake on the center rack of the oven until the biscuits turn golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes
  8. Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes. If serving right away, cut each biscuit with a serrated knife and fill with a slice each of ham and cheese. Wrap in foil and let the lingering heat of the biscuits melt the cheese.
  9. If waiting to serve, let the biscuits cool completely, slice, fill with ham and cheese, and wrap in foil. Reheat them in a 350° F oven for 12 minutes, or on the grill over medium heat, and serve.

Note: You can use equal amounts of other combos of cheese and meat. One I like is prosciutto and sweet Gorgonzola. (you know you’re a man if you have Gorgonzola in the morning.)

Recipe courtesy of Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style Cookbook