While there are no shortages for recipes using leftover ham (this article has 70), you can’t argue with a ham and Gruyère sandwich with grainy mustard on grilled rye. Soup’s always an option, and it freezes well. So consider a ham and cheddar chowder or ham and multi-bean.
Since carved ham will be the star protein on many home and restaurants’ Easter brunch spreads, we asked SLM‘s dining team and several local culinarians to chime in as well.
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Bethany Budde, SqWires: Griddled ham, Swiss, and jam sliders. (General manager AJ Miller opts for a ham and cheddar egg scramble.)
Munsok So, So Hospitality Group: “Look, I could say we’d get creative and toss the leftover Easter ham into some fancy bao or glaze it for a next-day udon special, but let’s be real. After a brunch like ours at 612North, leftovers are rare. But if there are any scraps left? I’m turning that ham into the ultimate hangover cure: crispy kimchi fried rice with diced ham, a runny egg, and a little gochujang heat to bring you back to life. Call it culinary redemption.”
Ann Lemke, The Art of Entertaining: “I am going to make ham and bean soup with mine! Delicious!”
Karl Schloz, Herbie’s: “I would cut it into small cubes and toss that with green peas, Parmesan, and a white wine cream sauce for a pasta!”
Mayla Gooch, Eclipse: “I’ll make pan-seared ham steaks with roasted green beans or a ham fried rice.”
Pat Eby: “I’m a sucker for ham, and I love the bargain prices at Easter. The hambone gets right in a big soup pot with onions, celery, carrots, bay, and peppercorns to make a rich ham stock. I love to make a good ham salad, not with sweet but with dill pickles, lots of finely chopped celery and onion, dressed with a sauce made with Duke’s light Mayonnaise and Blue Top Brand Garlic Hatch Creamy Hot Sauce. I’ll make a strata with ham and cheese and veggies. I also like to fix ham and cheese roll-ups with Pillsbury crescent rolls like my grandmother made, too. And it freezes so well—for when I run out of steam.”
Amy De La Hunt: “Sorry, we eat lamb on Easter. I grew up on a sheep ranch.”
Lynn Venhaus: “Our family tradition has always been to make ham salad. I have a nifty little Ninja appliance that now minces it, but my grandfather used to pull out this meat grinder tool to do it back in the ’60s. Eggs, pickle relish, grated onion, mayo. I also like chunking up some leftover ham to cook with fresh green beans and onion or, to go fancier, shallots. And you can’t ever go wrong with an Italian sub either. But never, ever with pineapple on pizza.”
Dave Lowry: “I do not have leftover ham at Easter, because I do not eat ham at Easter because unlike civilized holiday meals like Thanksgiving, when you can have turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, or at Christmas, when you can have roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, nothing goes with ham. And don’t tell me scalloped potatoes do because those are lousy. And don’t say salad because salad goes with anything and does nothing at all for ham in particular. And anyone who cares at all about a proper Easter meal will go with something like lasagna, which can be made the night before and then heated up and served after church and which, not incidentally, goes quite nicely with a salad.”
Denise Mueller: “We are huge fans of split pea and ham soup. And coincidentally, I’m writing you from the ham capital—Portugal—where I have some leftover presunto in the mini fridge. for breakfast in the a.m. It won’t last until Easter!”
Collin Preciado: “I love ham, but unfortunately I’ve sworn it off entirely after reading this feature in New York Magazine about how bad it is for you. (Cue Debbie Downer trombone.) I have not, however, read anything that suggests Starburst Jellybeans are a major cause of colorectal illnesses, so I’ll be eating those with impunity in the days following the holiday.”
Bill Burge: “My ham becomes three things. First, I like to slice some for breakfast sandwiches and freeze it between patty paper so I can pull single slices to cook from frozen. Second, years ago I found the recipe for Dierbergs ham salad. It’s the best and something I grew up loving, but don’t like to keep it around. Third, and most commonly, I freeze 8 oz. chunks I use in a sort of feijoada-esque dish I frequently make with whatever beans are around and chicken thighs, leftover ham, leftover grilled sausages (I freeze these too), and bacon ends (I smoke my own bacon).”
Cheryl Baehr: “Granted, it’s not really the season for this dish, but hear me out because we will still have chilly nights that call for heartier meals. My dear friend just taught me how to make the simplest cassoulet you can imagine. I know it’s a French country dish, but I’ve always been intimidated because it has so many moving parts that people tend to overcomplicate. (Seriously, who is going to actually confit their own duck legs? Cassoulet purists, that’s who.) He showed me a version of the dish that can be made as a weeknight meal. I was flabbergasted, but it’s true, and it’s the perfect use for leftover ham. In his version, you cut up an entire ham steak and brown it off with onions and garlic, but leftover Easter ham in about that same quantity will work just as well. In a separate pot, add three cans of cannellini beans, a can of diced tomatoes, baby carrots, and chopped celery. Add the ham and onions to that mix, as well as a two-pack of duck confit. (He orders his from Maple Leaf Farms, but you can get it at specialty stores in town.) Then cook them all together with some white wine or vermouth, a couple of bay leaves, and some green herbs of your choice. Throw in some cut-up garlicky sausage if you want, but it’s not necessary. Place the mixture in a baking dish, and bake it at 275 degrees for two to three hours. About 45 minutes before it’s done, top it with breadcrumbs, and return it to the oven to give it some crunch. It’s so easy, and it is absolutely delicious. I’m leaving quite a bit out, but you get the gist. (If you want the recipe, hit me up at [email protected].)”
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