This Christmas, my Dad sent us a Ready-to-Cook, Bone-In, Corn Cob Smoked Ham from Harrington’s of Vermont:
This was a special gift for two reasons. First, gift giving used to be my Mom’s domain. After she passed away in 2012, Dad half-heartedly took over gift giving. I was impressed — this was a really thoughtful gift, a holiday treat for the whole family to enjoy. Second, this was a really great ham. My Dad commented that my daughter would enjoy watching my husband carve it at the table. He was remembering a Thanksgiving about a decade ago, when my young daughter could hardly wait for the picture-perfect turkey to be brought out in all its crisp-skinned glory. My Dad, however, had carved the turkey in the kitchen, and when my daughter saw the pile of sliced turkey, she burst into tears.
The ham baked up nicely, and the tantalizing smoky aroma filled the house:
As much as we enjoyed the baked ham, I think we were looking forward to the leftovers even more. My daughter has set some aside for Spaghetti Carbonara. The meaty bone will be put to good use in bean soup. And today I made Deviled Ham Salad for lunch on this lazy New Year’s Day.
Whether you’ve got leftover ham, or just start with a package of ham from the deli section, Deviled Ham Salad is easy and tasty, either as an appetizer with crackers, or as a sandwich filling. I like to finely chop the ham and pickles in a food processor, making sure not to overprocess, so that the ham salad has some texture.
- 2 cups finely chopped ham
- ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Serve with crackers, or use a sandwich filling.
The food processor makes quick work of finely chopping the ham
The canned stuff ain’t got nothing on this!