A Couple of Ham Dinners

There are two recipes for ham on Wayne’s Super Special Roasts list, and we’ve tried both of them recently. The first is called “Best Ever Glazed Spiral Ham.” However, since the actual recipe itself didn’t state to use a spiral-cut ham, I didn’t. It still worked. The glaze itself was quite nice, (we really liked the little kick the red pepper flakes added), and we’ll put it in the rotation with our other favorite ham sauce.

Apricot Glazed Ham

• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Place an 8-10 pound ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour a cup or two of water in the bottom of the pan. Brush glaze over ham. Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until heated through, basting occasionally.

Note that the jam we used was pretty chunky, and I liked that, but it wasn’t really conducive to basting. I also didn’t want to “water down” the glaze, so for the most part I skipped the basting step. (I did re-spread the glaze occasionally.) In addition, the broth (pan drippings) was a great base for a lunch-time cabbage soup later in the week.

The second recipe, “Best Ever Ham Steak,” is geared to smaller families, and not a large crowd, which is nice at our stage in life. This glaze has maple syrup as a base, and the recipe includes the sides of black-eyed peas and kale in its instructions. Although not a suggested side, cornbread was a perfect addition to round out our dinner. This is definitely not something I ever would have considered for a holiday/company meal, but it was actually very delicious!

Maple Glazed Ham Steak

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 (one pound) ham steak
• 6 ounces torn kale leaves (about 6 cups)
• 3/4 cup cooked black-eyed peas
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the glaze ingredients (maple syrup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard) and set aside. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and quickly sauté the kale until wilted. Add the black-eyed peas and heat through. Remove and keep warm. Cook the ham in the same skillet, adding more oil if necessary, until golden brown on both sides. Stir in the glaze and heat through, turning the ham to coat. Just before serving, add the kale mixture and toss with the sauce.