Well, I’ve finally done it. I bought the first ham (of my life) to make for Easter supper. Usually I avoid buying a ham to make for holiday dinners by going with a grilled meat or BBQ — I know, so untraditional– instead. But, I finally decided that I needed to learn how to make a ham since I have a growing army to feed, etc. So, I bought a shank end half ham…and I’m planning on brining it for 24 hours and then baking it covered with a glaze that I got from my Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I really have no idea what I’m doing. I’ll let you know how it turns out. In addition to the ham (if it is edible), we are having cornbread dressing with bacon and pecans, pineapple gratin, roasted asparagus, and rolls. We shall see…..
March 24, 2005 | 11 Comments
March 24, 2005 at 9:06 pm
Okay, so I’ve done a little more research and I think that I’ll not be brining this particular ham. But I will be baking and glazing it. Hopefully we’ll enjoy eating it, too.
March 25, 2005 at 7:25 am
Sounds delicious. We had ham last Sunday. This Sunday we are having leg of lamb. Yum. Still trying to decide on dessert.
Dana in GA
March 25, 2005 at 8:41 am
Ummm. Can we come over?
Since we’re moving in 8 days I’ve got almost all of my cooking gear packed up and we’re using up the rest of the freezer and pantry (what little is left). We’re going to be having Easter brats or Easter sloppy joes or some such. Ha!
March 25, 2005 at 9:20 am
Oh, Dana, I want to try a leg of lamb sometime on Easter, too. Maybe next year!
March 27, 2005 at 12:48 am
I’ve never even tasted lamb in my entire life. I’m kind of scared about it, frankly.
March 27, 2005 at 9:43 pm
March 27, 2005 at 9:47 pm
Sorry about the blanks…
We got an already-cooked, spiral-sliced, glaze-able ham at Trader Joe’s for a great price (about half of what a “Honeybaked Ham” would have cost us). OK, so we didn’t go the full distance like you, Anne, but this ham was absolutely delicious. I recommend you try this next time– 45 minutes to warm it, another 10 to glaze it = nine pounds of yummy.
March 28, 2005 at 9:27 am
Maybe I’ll do the Trader Joe’s ham next year. My ham turned out fine. (Ham never really blows me away…but I like it and I LOVE having leftovers.) The pineapple was good and the asparagus ended up being sauteed green beans with almonds and red peppers because the asparagus at the store didn’t look very good. Our friend Brian brought some great mashed potatoes and dear Miss Liz brought some cheesecake from Hank’s. Yummy. Now I just have to find some recipes for leftover ham.
March 28, 2005 at 10:34 am
Glad it turned out well!
And Jon, lamb is nothing to be scared of. The texture and appearance is very much like beef, and I don’t think you’d find the flavor too alien to you palate. My favorite way to cook it is to encrust it with herbs — I think the recipe I have calls for the “Scarborough Fair” mix of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme — and roast it like a beef roast. And I know you guys don’t get a lot of chances to eat out, but if you can find a decent Middle Eastern restaurant, lamb shish kebab is one of my favorite restaurant dishes. Mmmm…my mouth is watering now!
March 31, 2005 at 4:56 pm
I made a goose a sort of verson of duck ala”orange??? We won’t be having it again. But the successful bit was the asparagus that I sauteed in white wine, oj, olive oil and garlic…it was really good. Yes, definatley go for the leg of lamb next year, we have in the past and it puts ham to shame.
April 9, 2005 at 3:59 pm
You have to try the lamb. This is the first year in several that I didn’t make one (went elsewhere for Easter lunch), but if they aren’t overcooked, leg of lamb is a really great tasty meat. That being said, I don’t crave it any other time of year than Easter.
P.S. I have a great recipe for roasted leg of lamb if you’re ever interested.