Stuffed Easter Ham Recipes

CLAUDIA MCQUILLAN'S STUFFED EASTER HAM RECIPE

Steps:

• With sharp knife, trim skin from top of ham. Score ham in 2-inch intervals, cutting 2 inches into ham.
• Wash and dry spinach, parsley and green onions. Remove stems from spinach and parsley. Cut green onion tops into 1-inch lengths. Combine spinach, parsley and green onion tops in food processor. Process with pulsing motion until finely chopped.
• Stuff mixture into scoring on ham, fitting in as deeply as possible. Place ham in roasting pan. Mix wine and honey and pour over ham. Pat any remaining stuffing over back of ham.
• Bake at 350 degrees until ham is heated through and deeply colored, 30 to 45 minutes, basting every 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on carving board. Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve hot or at room temperature.

STUFFED HASSELBACK HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter two 9-by-13-inch baking dishes with 1 tablespoon butter each.
• Stir together the Parmesan, thyme leaves, 1/3 cup of the heavy cream, half of the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a medium bowl. Add the Yukon gold potatoes, toss to coat and spread evenly in one of the prepared baking dishes.
• Stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the yams, toss to coat and spread evenly in the other prepared baking dish.
• Cover both baking dishes with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the potatoes and yams are tender when pierced with a fork, an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Stir together the cream cheese, Gruyere, nutmeg, remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, remaining garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few cracks pepper in a medium bowl. Add the spinach and stir to combine and coat.
• Position the ham flat-side down on a cutting board with the fat cup facing up. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch-wide slices across the length of the ham about three-quarters of the way down through the ham.
• To assemble: Fill the space between the first 2 slices of ham with some of the creamed spinach, pressing to even out the filling. Skip 3 slices (so there are 2 spaces in between) and fill the next space with more of the creamed spinach. Continue in the same manner, dividing the creamed spinach evenly among every third space. Fill each space next to the creamed spinach with a layer of the scalloped potatoes, dividing the scalloped potatoes evenly among every third space. Fill each space next to the scalloped potatoes with a layer of the candied yams, until all the spaces are filled.
• Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan, add 2 cups of water to the bottom and tent the ham loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until the ham is heated through and the potatoes are slightly golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the honey and heat through, whisking to combine. Season with a few cracks of pepper.
• Remove the foil and brush about half the glaze over the top of the ham. Return to the oven until the glaze is thick, glossy and deep golden, about 10 minutes more. Carefully transfer to a platter and pour the remaining glaze over top.

STUFFED HAM & EGG BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until juices are evaporated, 12-15 minutes. Add eggs; cook and stir until they are thickened and and no liquid egg remains, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in ham., Unroll dough onto a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle cheese lengthwise down one half of the dough to within 1 in. of edges. Top with egg mixture. Fold dough over filling, pinching to seal; tuck ends under., Bake until deep golden brown, 17-20 minutes. Cut into slices.

EASTER HAM WITH GOLDEN BREADCRUMBS AND MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack on lowest level of oven; preheat to 300°F. Without trimming fat, remove outer rind from most of ham, leaving a band around end of shank bone. Spacing cuts 3/4" apart to make a diamond pattern, score fat on top of ham crosswise and then lengthwise on a diagonal (do not cut into meat). Place ham in a large roasting pan. Pour 3 cups water into pan and roast ham for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, stir brown sugar and mustard in a medium bowl until a thick paste forms; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs; toast, stirring often, until very crispy, 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
• Remove ham from oven; increase temperature to 350°F. Spread half of sugar-mustard paste over scored top of ham. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham registers 145°F, about 1 hour. If pan juices have dried out, add 1 cup water to pan.
• Remove ham from oven; increase temperature to 400°F. Spread remaining sugar-mustard paste over ham and pack breadcrumbs all over top.
• Bake ham until crumbs are deep golden brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes. Transfer ham to a serving platter; let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth. Set sieve over a medium pitcher or gravy boat. Spoon off fat from surface of juices in pan; discard. Add Madeira to pan. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat and simmer liquids briskly, scraping up browned bits, until sauce thickens and is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain sauce through prepared sieve, pressing on solids; discard solids.
• Carve ham. Serve sauce alongside.

BAKED EASTER HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap ham completely with parchment-lined foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Transfer ham to oven and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Unwrap ham; discard parchment and foil. With a large, sharp knife score fat in a diamond pattern, making the lines about 3/4 inch apart. Transfer ham to a large roasting pan.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and Cognac. Brush ham evenly with 3/4 of the brown sugar mixture and return to oven; cook ham 1 hour. Brush ham with remaining brown sugar mixture and continue cooking 30 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter until ready to carve; garnish with watercress and parsley.

STUFFED HAM, SOUTHERN MARYLAND STYLE

Steps:

• If corning the ham: Cut slits about 3 inches deep in a few places around the bone. Push salt into the incisions and, with a light hand, rub salt all over the surface of the ham. Reserve any remaining salt to rub into the ham as it corns, adding more if needed later in the process. Place the ham in a nonreactive pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place it in refrigerator for a week. Unwrap and turn it every couple of days, sprinkling with more reserved salt and pouring off any juice that collects each time. Rewrap. The day before you are going to stuff the ham, rinse off the salt and soak the ham overnight in cold water in the refrigerator.
• Make the stuffing: The goal is to chop all the vegetables so the pieces are small and relatively uniform in size. Begin by chopping the cabbage. A food processor with a shredding blade is helpful. Place the cabbage in a large pan or bowl. Remove large stems from the kale and other greens, if you are using them, and chop. (Tip: Freeze cleaned, whole kale leaves overnight in plastic bags, then break up the frozen leaves while still in the bag and add to the stuffing mixture.) Chop the yellow onions and scallions, and add them to the cabbage and kale.
• Mix the vegetables well and add the spices. Mix again. (Your hands will work best for this, but wear gloves if your skin is sensitive to pepper.) Taste the stuffing and adjust, adding more cayenne or red-pepper flakes for a more intense spiciness. Keep in mind that the long boiling time will soften the heat.
• Stuff the ham: Remove the bone, or have the butcher remove it for you. The ham should be almost butterflied. Add the bone to a pot large enough to hold the ham, fill with enough water to cover it and begin to heat the water to a boil.
• While the water heats, set the ham on a sheet pan and cut slits about 3 inches long and 2 inches deep in a few places to make pockets, being careful not to slice through the meat completely. The number of slits will depend on the size of the ham. The goal is an even distribution of stuffing. Pack the slits tightly with stuffing, and add stuffing to the center of the ham where the bone was. Close the ham and secure it with kitchen string.
• Prepare a large square of cheesecloth at least 3 layers thick. Spoon a layer of stuffing over the cheesecloth and set the ham on it. Pack more stuffing on the top and sides of the ham. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth to the top and twist tightly to form a compact package. Tie the top tightly with string.
• Lower the ham into boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer and add any juice that has collected from the stuffing. Skim any foam that rises. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Turn off the heat and let the ham cool slightly in the water, about an hour. (Old-timers simply put the whole pot on the porch overnight if the weather was cool, or left it on the stove until completely cooled.) Drain the ham in a colander and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecloth and string, and reserve any stuffing around the ham.
• To serve, slice the ham across the grain, so each slice contains stuffing and meat. Pile additional stuffing around the slices. The ham can be reheated, but more often it is served cold.

STUFFED HAM WITH RAISIN SAUCE

Steps:

• Using a sharp thin-bladed knife and beginning at one end of the ham, carefully cut a 2-1/2-in. circle about 6 in. deep; remove cutout. Cut a 1-1/2-in. slice from the end of removed piece; set aside. , Continue cutting a 2-1/2-in. tunnel halfway through ham, using a spoon to remove pieces of ham (save for another use). Repeat from opposite end of ham, cutting and removing ham until a tunnel has been cut through entire length of ham., In a small skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, pecans, parsley, egg substitute and mustard. Stir in onion. Stuff ham; cover end openings with reserved ham slices. Place in a shallow roasting pan., Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1-1/4 hours. In a small saucepan, combine honey and orange juice concentrate; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until blended. Brush over ham. Bake 30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140°. , For sauce, combine the brown sugar, flour, mustard and raisins in a saucepan. Gradually add water and vinegar. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with ham.