One might think that it’s too early to think about leftovers but this is the time when most people are trying to decide just what kind of ham to get for Christmas. If you’re practical, the ideal choice is to buy ham by weight, sliced or not, and only just enough for one meal. If you’re having people over, a whole leg of ham might be justified. But if there are only four of you in the house, a large slab of ham might be over-the-top. Been there, done that.
Two decades ago, we had a whole leg of Chinese ham for Christmas and it was so huge that we were still trying to get creative with the leftovers way past Valentine’s Day. I’m not kidding. The girls, still in grade school at the time, were already whining because they had ham for their packed school lunch almost every day.
Well, I’ve learned. Give me a leg of ham today and I can think of countless ways to cook the meat without boring my daughters to tears. One daughter, at least. The other has not eaten pork in over a decade.
So, if you’re thinking of getting a large slab of ham for the holidays but you’re worried about what to do with leftovers, I have a list of ways you can serve it without getting repetitious.
Ham steak
The easiest and most obvious. Note though that this is not a cooking technique one would use to serve dry-cured hams like the Italian prosciutto, and Spanish jamon serrano and jamon Iberico. Those hams aren’t meant to be cooked. You shave them thinly and eat the cured meat raw. Cook it and you’ll just ruin the flavor and texture.
Ham steak is something you can make using baked ham. Cut thick slices of ham — the size of boneless pork chop is ideal — and fry in butter on both sides until browned and the edges have caramelized.
If your ham is salty, use unsalted butter then drizzle honey over the ham steak before serving. If your ham is sweet, use salted butter and skip the honey.
Serve your ham steak with rice or bread.
Crispy ham and cheese bread rolls
Trimmed and flattened bread slices are filled with ham and cheese, rolled, dipped in egg, covered with panko and deep fried for ten seconds. A fast and lovely snack to put you in a good mood. Get the recipe.
Ham and kimchi fried rice
It’s a ham and egg breakfast, Asian-style. Honey-glazed ham and spicy-tangy-salty kimchi provide the dominant flavors in this easy 15-minute dish. Get the recipe.
Creamy ham and veggies pasta
Cooks in ten minutes flat. The trick here is to saute the vegetables and ham in one pan while the pasta cooks in another. By the time the pasta is done, all you need to do is scoop out the noodles and dump them into the pan with the ham and vegetables. Get the recipe.
Crispy fried potatoes, ham, tomatoes and feta salad
Rösti (Swiss-style fried grated potatoes) serves as the base and carb component of a salad. No tossing is required. Simply top the rosti with tomatoes, feta and smoky ham, drizzle in vinaigrette (or serve on the side), garnish with parsley and you have a tasty and filling meal. Get the recipe.
Ham and sausage fried rice
Salty Chinese ham joins sweet Japanese sausage in this bright and festive fried rice. A wonderful one bowl meal! Get the recipe.
A la bauernfrühstück (German farmer’s breakfast)
A German peasant food, bauernfrühstück is a dish of potatoes, meat (ham, bacon or sausages), eggs and onions. A lovely way to use leftover Christmas ham. Get the recipe.
Ham and macaroni salad
Boiled macaroni, cubes of salty ham and cheese, sweet crushed pineapple, pickle relish, sliced celery and chopped carrot are tossed with mayo to make this lovely pasta and meat salad. Get the recipe.
