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It’s easy enough to find your favorite local meat farmer and get a frozen ham, just in time for Christmas.
However, perhaps the thought of what to actually do with that ham is overwhelming.
Well, let’s not leave that poor ham to live out the rest of its days becoming a permanent ice crystal in the bottom of the freezer!
Here’s one Christmas dinner idea for you…
Pineapple Glazed Ham with Ham Gravy on Mashed Potatoes
It’s really not too difficult and I’ll show you how it’s made.
First, the ham.
(About 6 hours before dinner)
Our hams come full cooked, so theoretically, you just need to thaw, warm through, and cut it up.
However, we want to have some broth to make gravy, so I recommend putting your ham into the crock pot for 4-6 hours on low.
**Make sure to add several inches of water on the bottom to have something to make your gravy with later on.**
Next, the glaze.
(About a 1/2 hour before dinner.)
Simply put all the ingredients in a kettle and bring to a boil for a minute. Make sure to stir!
After it’s thick, set aside with a lid to stay warm.
(If your house is like ours and sometimes life happens while you’re trying to make a meal, this can easily be heated through again before serving….a handy thing sometimes!)
Let’s sneak in the potatoes.
You’ll want mashed potatoes for this meal.
Peel or scrub them, cut them up in to smallish sized pieces and get them started steaming or boiling so they’ll be ready in time for the meal.
Then, the gravy.
(About 15 minutes before dinner.)
The measurements for the gravy will depend on how much broth you have in the bottom of your crockpot, so the following information can be tweaked a little one way or the other.
Start with melting 2 tablespoons of butter in the kettle. Whisk until melted, then add 2 tablespoons of flour.
Whisk, whisk, whisk! This will keep the lumps out of your gravy. It will start to make a goo. Keep your heat low to keep from burning.
Next, add the ham broth.
It works best to add small amounts at a time, whisking as you do – it will thicken the best (and fastest) this way.
Continue to add all the broth you need. If you find you need more, add a little water until you have a nice amount of gravy.
Hint: If it’s not thickening as fast or as well as you think it should, you can hurry it up a little by putting about a half cup of cold water in a bowl with 1 tbsp of flour and whisking it together. Add this to the gravy and it’ll thicken fairly quickly.
And just like that, dinner ready!
PS: Don’t forget the squash. The picture above shows acorn squash. Yum!
Here are the recipes:
Pineapple Ham Glaze
Ingredients
- 20 oz can of pineapple either small chunks or crushed
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 2 heaping tbsp of cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 T dry mustard
Instructions
- Mix together all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan.
- Cook over medium heat until thick.
- Boil for 1 minute while stirring.
- Pour the sauce over a fully cooked ham or slices of ham. Extra sauce can be put into a bowl and served at the table for those who want extra flavor. 🙂
- Serve and eat immediately.
Smooth Ham Gravy
Equipment
- 1 medium sized saucepan
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups ham broth
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the saucepan.
- Slowly add the flour, whisking continually.
- Whisk until there are no lumps. It should make a paste.
- Slowly add spoonfuls of ham broth, whisking continually as you do.
- Whisk, whisk whisk! It should be thickening. Keep low heat. If it's not thickening, stop adding broth for a couple minutes, but keep stirring as it thickens.
- Since ham is naturally salty, make sure to taste the gravy before adding any to taste.
- Serve in a pretty bowl with a ladle for easy serving.
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