How many different meals can you make out of half a ham? Three if you have it cut correctly, and four if you buy it large enough. I always buy the shank part of a fully cooked ham. It’s not as expensive as the butt, but just as flavorful.
Have the butcher remove shank bone for you and show him how high up you want it cut. (see diagram) Divide the remaining piece of meat in half. Bake and glaze piece with bone, serve as a Sunday meal. Save the bone.
Slice the boneless peice for use in your favorite ham casserole. Mine is featured below. Use the bone left from Sunday dinner and your meaty shank to season up a big pot of white or pinto beans. Remember, beans are very high in nutritional value. Or you can try the recipe for cabbage stew that I’ll give you next month.
Ham and Sweet potato Dinner
- 3 cups cooked canned sweet potatoes
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1/3 tsp. cinnamon
- dash nutmeg
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- 6 ½ inch thick 4 inch squares of ham
- 6 slices canned pinapple
- ¼ cup corn flake crumbs
Mix sweet potatoes with salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. Beat in evaporated milk slowly. Place meat in shallow shallow pan. Put ½ of potato mixture on ham slices Cover potato with drained pineapple slices. Top with rest of potato mixture. Sprinkle with crumbs. Bake on center shelf of 400 oven 30 Min. or until ham is tender. Add a green vegetable, gelatin salad, hot bread and your favorite dessert and dinner is served.
Original photograph caption
Ham-cutting diagram accompanying What’s In The Pot.
Originally published in The Paper, June 1970.
