Ham (and more) for the holidays

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Spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the company of friends and family this holiday season with Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s complete meal plan. None of these recipes require more than a half-hour prep time.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

MAKES 14–16

2 cups self-rising flour, sifted (plus extra for cutting)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup unsalted butter or shortening, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled

½ cup sweet potato puree or canned pumpkin

½ cup buttermilk

Butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, add flour and cinnamon and stir together. Add butter or shortening, and pulse just until the butter pieces are about the size of small peas (5 to 7 pulses). Pour into a large bowl, make a well in the center of the flour and add the sweet potato puree and buttermilk to the well. Using a spatula or your fingers, fold the flour in a circular motion into the wet mixture. Mix just enough until a dough ball forms. Turn dough out onto a clean, dry, floured surface. Do not overmix!

Using your floured hands, pat dough into a round disk about ½-inch thick and fold in half. Repeat this step two times, keeping the surface floured. Then pat dough into a disk ½-inch thick for normal biscuits or ¾-inch for tall biscuits. Using a 2½-inch biscuit cutter dipped into flour, cut out biscuits starting at the outside of the dough and working your way to the center. Combine leftover scraps to form additional biscuits. Place cut biscuits onto a baking sheet or into a cast-iron skillet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 12–14 minutes or until lightly brown.

Remove from oven and brush with additional butter, if desired. Cover with a clean cloth and let rest until ready to serve.

Chef’s Tips

Sweet potato puree

  • Spray sweet potatoes with cooking spray and bake in a 425 F oven until soft, about 1 hour.
  • Cool, remove skin and puree in food processor.

Working with biscuit dough

  • Do not overwork dough or your biscuits will be tough.
  • Keep hands and surface dusted with flour for easy handling.
  • Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out; use an up-and-down motion.
  • Place biscuits very close together in the pan for a soft exterior, or space farther apart for a crispy exterior.
  • Never re-work dough scraps more than two times or your biscuits will be tough.

Glazed Spiral Ham

SERVINGS VARY DEPENDING ON SIZE

1 fully cooked spiral-cut ham, packing liquid reserved

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275 F. Place ham cut-side down on a large piece of aluminum foil. Pour reserved liquid all over and completely seal with foil. Place on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for 10 minutes per pound.

While ham is warming, make glaze. Into a medium pan over medium-low heat, add sugar, syrup, mustard and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside until ready to use.

Remove ham from oven about 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Increase temperature to 400 F. Remove or turn down foil and brush ham with glaze. Return to oven and cook the final 30 minutes until glaze is bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Chef’s Tips

Spiral hams

  • Hams are pre-cooked and can be eaten out of the package at room temperature or warmed in the oven with a glaze added.
  • Be careful when warming not to overheat (or heat at too high a temperature) or the ham will dry out.
  • A 7-pound spiral ham will easily feed 10–14 people; a little less if the ham has a bone.

Red Cabbage Slaw

SERVES 6–8

½ head red cabbage, grated or shredded

2 small carrots, grated

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

4–5 radishes, grated

½ red onion, chopped fine

Kosher salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

In a large bowl, add cabbage, carrots, celery, radishes and onion. Toss to combine. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk salt, pepper, oil, vinegar and honey until emulsified. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before serving.

Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

SERVES 6–8

2 large russet potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced

¼ cup butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups milk

Kosher salt

White pepper

Pinch, nutmeg

2 cups cheddar cheese, divided

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, freshly chopped (plus extra for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Into a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, layer potato slices. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Whisk constantly until combined, about 2 minutes. Add milk and continue to whisk until sauce thickens, another 2–3 minutes. Whisk in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in 1½ cups cheese and thyme. Pour sauce over potatoes and sprinkle on the remaining of cheese. Bake for 25–30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Garnish with chopped thyme.

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Lemon-mint snap peas—With friends and family stopping by during the holidays, you may have extra mouths to feed. Try this easy recipe for a quick and satisfying side dish that goes with any meal.

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BELINDA SMITH-SULLIVAN is a chef and food writer who lives in Trenton, where she is a member of Aiken Electric Cooperative. She has a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University and is certified in wine studies from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif. Her articles have been published in several regional magazines and in her blog, “The Flying Foodie.”