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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Your Go-To Dozen Easter Lamb and Ham Recipes

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For those among us who for what ever reason are tuned into the ecclesiastical calendar, the Easter holiday is just a week away. For those of raised in the South, that typically meant a fancy ham would grace the Sunday table, or perhaps a leg of lamb (or even gussied-up lamb chops).

Growing up my own family leaned to the ham side of the discussion, though as we’ve raised our own clan, we’ve gravitated to prefer lamb, and in particular the Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb listed first in the recipe stack below (and yep, I shared that recipe back in July as well). I’ll be setting that up to marinate in about a week, and grilling over oak and a bit of mesquite the next day.

There are dozens and dozens of great options around if you find yourself entertaining for the holiday; invest some well-spent time and effort in creating a tasty protein to anchor your feast next weekend. Here’s a dozen recipes we’ve kept on a “lamb and ham” short list…

Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Turkish Lamb Chops with Sumac, Tahini, and Dill

Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb

Olive-Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Honey Vinegar Leg of Lamb

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Salsa Verde

Mint and Cumin-Spiced Lamb Chops

Lamb Shoulder with Citrus and Fennel Salad

Libby’s Honey Thyme Holiday Ham

Honey and Rye Glazed Ham

Spicy Tamarind and Honey Glazed Ham

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 21 December: Libby’s Honey Thyme Holiday Ham

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Being children of the South, my wife and I often think about enjoying a nice ham during the holiday season. As our palates have changed over the years eating Primally, the commercially prepared, overly-sweet, glazed hams made famous by a certain franchise just don’t fit the bill these days.

We have a family favorite mustard-glazed, hardwood-smoked version we’re partial to, though Libby convinced me to try her Honey Thyme Holiday Ham recipe recently, and I have to say, it’s very likely the best ham we’ve ever cooked at home.

She adapted the recipe from one posted in the now-defunct Gourmet magazine years ago, and true to her Southern roots added a bit of creole mustard to the glaze. And yes, this ham has a glaze sweetened with honey; the flavor added, particularly working in concert with the thyme, is well worth the sprinkle of additional carbs in our book, and isn’t cloying (like the above mentioned commercially-prepped hams…).

Give this one a try if you’re thinking about a ham this year; it’s one you’ll come back to again.

12-14 pound fully cooked ham

1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup mild honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp creole or dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Optional: fresh ground pepper

Set your ham out at room temp an hour before starting to cook.

When ready to get started, fire your trusty oven to 350 and trim any rind (skin) from the ham, then score the surface ham fat in a crosshatch pattern (just the fat, not the meat).

Place the ham on a roasting rack in a hefty roasting pan, cover with a piece of parchment paper, then cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.

While the ham is baking, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and reduce to roughly 1 tbsp. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the butter until melted, then the honey, thyme, mustard, and Worcestershire. Set the glaze aside until the hour and 45 minutes are up.

When the first baking period has passed, remove the foil and parchment paper, brush the ham with half the glaze, pour a cup of water or apple cider into the roasting pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

Reglaze the ham with the remaining glaze and bake another 30 minutes (or until done).

Enjoy.