Easy ideas for leftover Christmas ham
It’s not Christmas in New Zealand without a ham.
The joy of buying a ham is that you are guaranteed you can feed everyone, even those unexpected guests. But even if you have all of your distant rellies around on the 25th, the chances are that come Boxing Day, there’s still a sizeable amount of ham left.
If you store your ham correctly it will last for at least a week. Store your ham in the fridge in a calico ham bag which you have dampened with water and vinegar (1 litre of water to 2 tablespoons of white vinegar). Don’t wrap your ham tightly as some air needs to be able to circulate around it.
Instead of dreading the thought of yet another ham sandwich, try some of our easy ham recipes to use it up. After all, you’ve probably spent a small fortune on it, so you don’t want it to go to waste.
Christmas kebabs on the BBQ are a perfect Boxing Day meal. Use leftover cranberry sauce or any other chutney as a glaze.
These lasagne pasta rolls with ham and parmesan by Jo Seagar, are incredibly quick and easy to make.
If you are taking a picnic to the beach, then this courgette and ham slice makes great picnic food.
Everyone loves a fritter, so use leftover ham and turkey for Boxing Day fritters.
This easy ham quiche from Jax Hamilton uses a bread base.
Jazz up your ham sandwiches by making this croque monsieur from Annabel Langbein, which is a perfect breakfast treat.
Other easy ham inspiration
- Think Hawaiian! Grill some pineapple and make a Hawaiian burger or add it to a pizza.
- Grill it on the BBQ – slice into thick chunks, and voila, ham steaks.
- Use it where you would normally use bacon – in pasta, risottos, quiches, fried rice etc.
- Make a pie check out our great ideas for turning your Christmas leftovers into delicious pies.
If you can’t eat it all, freeze it.
Freeze ham to use it later in the year. Slice the ham or chop it into smaller chunks then seal it in a labeled ziplock bag. It is a good idea to portion the ham in small quantities so you won’t have to defrost a whole chunk all at once. Once ham has been frozen, the texture changes slightly so it may not be great for sandwiches but it will be good for using in things like pasta, pies and quiches.
What about the bone?
Wrap up your ham bone and stash it in the freezer for a batch of pea and ham soup in the winter.
