---

I’m not a huge fan of ham salad. It always seems too pink and too mushy to be real food. Also, it looks like brains.

BUT, when you have 4+ pounds of frozen ham in a freezer that needs defrosting (and you’re all out of split peas), what do you make?

Ham Salad.

 

My good thing today was creating a batch that I like. I liked it so much, in fact, I ate about a cup right out of the container before I could even get it on the bread. It’s good on crackers. It’s good on sourdough, it’s good on wheat. It’s ridiculous on buttered toast, with a  fried egg.

Ham salad is officially vindicated.

---

Ingredients:

• 6 cups (1 lb, 9 oz.) cooked, real ham (no deli meat)
• 1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2/3 cup of GOOD mayonnaise*
• 1/4 cup diced dill pickles
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme**
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary**
• (salt as needed to correct flavor, but the ham is usually pretty salty on it’s own)

To correct the “mush” factor, I started by boiling the ham in just enough water to cover the meat half way up the pot. This made a drier ham with a corned beef texture and leaves you with great broth to cook rice or pasta in. It also makes going straight from the freezer super snappy.

When the ham is heated through and your broth is bubbling,

strain it out of the liquid and set it aside until it’s cooled.

Shred it.

Throw it in a bowl with the remaining ingredients.

Stir until well combined, but don’t pulverize it. (I like a drier salad, so my mayo quantity is low. Feel free to add more to your liking!)

Correct with salt and pepper as needed and chill.

 

I served this on sourdough with a side of greens, dried tart cherries, and a sharp Irish Cheddar.

 

Mmmmmmm……

…brains.

---

 

* The taste of the mayo really comes through in this salad, so be sure to use a  quality spread that you like the taste of on it’s own. It should have a fresh, eggy tang.

**I also tried Herbs de Provence in a batch and that was delicious. Not everyone likes all the herbs in this blend, so I opted for thyme and rosemary to please more palates. If I were making it just for me though, I’d omit the thyme and rosemary and go with 1 1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, all the way.

***If the salad dries out in the fridge after a day or two, refresh it with a Tablespoon of fresh mayo and a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard.