Here are 10 easy things to do with your leftover Christmas ham.
1. Breakfast ham and eggs
A thick slab of ham is a great substitute for bacon if you are having a Boxing Day breakfast cook-up. Prepare your favourite eggs, lightly grill the ham on the barbie with some tomatoes, mushrooms or whatever takes your fancy and you’ll be set for a day of adventure … or relaxing.
2. You say frittata …
If you want to be a little bit fancier and more creative with your ham and egg combinations, you can’t go wrong with a quiche, frittata (if you don’t have or want pastry), individual muffins and even an omelette.
For an easy ham quiche, all you need is:
- A store-bought pie crust or a sheet of pastry (you will need to blind bake before adding the eggs)
- 1.5 cups diced ham
- 1.5 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss or whatever you have on hand)
- 3 large eggs
- 1.5 cups milk (or a combination of milk and cream)
- Salt and pepper
Prepare your pastry. Sprinkle half the cheese over the base then add the ham and lastly the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper until frothy and pour into the crust. Bake in a 180°C oven for about 30–40 minutes. Let it cool for 20 minutes before you tuck in.
If you can’t be bothered with pastry, a frittata or a crustless quiche is a great way to use up some leftover roast vegies from Christmas Day and any other spare bits you have lying around. Just add half a cup of self-raising flour to your egg mix to help it set. This combination works well for individual muffins as well.
3. Croque monsieur
A croque monsieur is essentially a very fancy French ham and cheese toastie.
A true croque monsieur uses bechamel sauce in place of butter on both slices of bread, three types of cheese (parmesan, Gruyere and Swiss), ham and a smidge of Dijon mustard. Once assembled it is pan fried in loads of butter until golden brown. If you are prepared to go to the effort, they are delicious. But so is a simple ham and cheese toastie.
4. Ham fried rice
The leftover packaging might not be great for the environment, but the microwavable pouches of pre-cooked rice do make life on the road that bit easier.
Finely dice some ham and add to rice in a pan over a low heat with diced vegies including capsicum, snow peas, spring onions — frozen peas/corn is a good combo too. Add a bit of soy sauce for saltiness and colour and perhaps some garlic, ginger and sesame oil for taste. Fried rice is a quick and easy side dish that will go with just about any barbecued meat or fish. Or just eat it on its own.
5. Ham pasta
Spaghetti carbonara — done simply and well — was and still is one of my favourite pasta dishes, although it’s not great for the waistline. Ham can be added to a myriad of pasta dishes, so have a play around. Whether it’s carbonara with ham instead of bacon, a creamy dish with ham, peas and a light sauce or a simple mac and cheese with some ham thrown in. The possibilities are endless.
6. Baked potatoes
A spud wrapped in foil and baked on the coals of an open campfire is an easy and tasty dinner any time of the year. Top with butter, ham, cheese and sour cream and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or chives and a generous grind of black pepper.
7. Hawaiian Pizza
Hawaiian pizzas can be divisive — you either love them or hate them. We love them, so I always carry some pizza dough in the van freezer so we can cook an easy dinner in the Weber barbecue. Pizza bases are readily available from the supermarket. Start with the pizza sauce, then add the cheese, diced or shredded ham and fresh pineapple if you can get it. Otherwise, canned is fine.
8. HLT
Not a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) — but a ham, lettuce, tomato sandwich.
This combo is simple but relies on quality ingredients for its wow-factor. Juicy ripe tomatoes, crispy iceberg lettuce, lightly grilled ham and two pieces of toasty bread with loads of mayo. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Ham salad
There would be hundreds of interpretations of a ham salad out there and we will each have our favourite.
If you like traditional, opt for iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs and, of course, ham.
For something a bit more fancy try a combination of rocket with fresh figs or thinly sliced pear, shaved parmesan or goat’s cheese, walnuts or pecans for crunch and thinly sliced ham. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze. A quick and easy lunch or dinner and perfect with a chilled glass of chardy post-Christmas.
10. Freeze it
If all else fails and you simply can’t face another ham dish, slice it up and whack it in the freezer for later. Portion it out into freezer or zip-lock bags, squeeze out the excess air and label the bags with the date for future reference.
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