6 ways with gammon that aren’t Christmassy
From delectable deep-fried croquettes to a lusciously creamy take on pasta Alfredo, Khanya Mzongwana rounds up six brilliant ways with leftover gammon.
If there was a Christmas roast Big Five, gammon would be the lion. Most households won’t celebrate Christmas without it, and as much as I can manage the big celebration in gammon-free fashion, the day just feels correct when there’s a beautiful, glazed gammon as part of the spread. But here, I’m calling on you to consider gammon as more than just Christmas fare and think about adding it to your weekday menu; there are so many ways to enjoy it apart from having it as a celebratory centrepiece. It’s a highly versatile cut of meat that’s an excellent solution when it comes to feeding crowds
1. The great gammon sandwich
How about a succulent gammon sandwich? I've made a leftover gammon Reuben and a stacked grape-glazed gammon sandwich, both of which were designed as solutions for what to do with your leftover festive gammon. They’re both very hip and minimal effort, because in all honesty, nobody really wants to do anything the day after a big celebration feast other than reheat leftovers or stuff them between slices of bread. Check out those two sandwiches over here:
Grape-glazed gammon sandwich recipe
Leftover gammon Reuben sandwich recipe
LOVE GAMMON? Check out our gammon recipe guide
2. Breakfast brilliance
There’s a world of possibilities when you have a roasted gammon in the fridge. Think of gammon the way you’d think of bacon: slice it up and add it to breakfast. I love to glaze the slices in a hot pan with a bit of maple syrup and have it with buttery scrambled eggs, but this gammon croque madame won me over as soon as I saw it. Shoutout to our contributing food editor Clem Pedro for this one – this recipe is fire!
3. Just add pasta
Another delicious, low-effort way with leftover gammon that you might not have considered is... pasta! This creamy Alfredo will have you buying gammon on the regular like the boss that you are. Hannah Lewry really came through with this one – I’ve cooked an iteration of this and it’s in my top five favourite things to do with pasta and gammon.
Creamy leftover gammon Alfredo recipe
4. Put it in a pie
Something I love to do with any leftover meat is shred it up and make a pie, and this chicken, gammon and mushroom pie will warm the cockles and satisfy a multitude of cravings. Try your hand at this incredible recipe by Collette Robert of The General Store; it’s been up on the site for a long time, so shame on you if you haven’t tried it out yet!
Chicken, gammon and mushroom pie recipe
5. Make it a little fancy
Having a dinner party or want to eat your Christmas gammon in an innovative way? Make a terrine out of it, slice it nice and thick and serve with pickles and mustard. I like this recipe because it looks deceptively hard to make, and everyone will praise you for what seemed like a big effort. This is also a majorly cool lunchbox idea. You can also make the terrine a day ahead and serve it cold or at room temperature. Abigail Donnelly gets the credit for this one – but so will you once you’ve taken the time to make this for your guests.
6. Reach for the deep fryer
Last but not least are these awesome, crunchy, creamy gammon croquettes by Clem Pedro. (I feel like I’m the queen of deep-frying things, so this recipe speaks to me particularly.) The added bonus? These croquettes freeze well, too.
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