You know I hate waste.
You know I'm cheap.
You know throwing food away makes me crazy.
And you know I really hate the word "leftovers." Could there possibly be a less appetizing descriptor for a meal? Who would want to eat something called... that?
I firmly believe that cooked food, waiting to be repurposed, is one of the greatest gifts an imaginative cook can receive.
Which leads me to the two holidays that give said cook the greatest number of gifts: Thanksgiving and Easter. As Easter's recently come and gone, I have in my fridge, as you might well imagine, about 8 pounds of ham.
Yes, for the two of us. I found a great sale on a Carando bone-in, hickory-smoked city ham. And though it was 9 pounds, I still bought it...
Because, much as I love a holiday ham, I am even more enamored of all the things to be made with that ham in the days following.
The first was, not surprisingly, a very straightforward ham hash (I know, it sounds Dr. Seussian!). Crisply browned cubes of potato, onions and celery cooked until almost tender, and a cup of diced ham...
Salt, pepper, top it all with some sour cream mixed with a healthy shot of Dijon...
Makes me wish that Easter Monday came more frequently!