I try not to cook anything I can make at home — but in our kitchen, we love ham for Lent, which is why I often find that I cook lots of ham. I know everyone’s obsession with bacon is legendary, but it turns out that I’m an underrated bacon fan myself. This simple recipe puts an equally pungent ham flavor in your salad, but it also adds something else I absolutely love: an onion. Ham is made up of meat — pork — with fat, fat with salt, and salt, salt, salt! Onion adds rich flavor. (Just another reason to love it.)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless ham
- 8 medium-large white onions, sliced
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Ham must be fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer, and carefully turn it over once when checked by the wrist.
- Wash the ham. Do not cook it; any water left on it will overpower the flavor. Pull off any visible gristle, which is okay.
- Make a ham glaze by combining the vinegar, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and paprika in a jar and shaking to combine. Taste, and season accordingly.
- Combine the olive oil and salt and pepper in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Heat the ham in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and turn to sear, about 1 minute per side.
- Transfer the onion and ham to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving.
Photographer: Ande A. Flinn
Reproduced with permission from Egg Loves Bacon. For more recipes, please visit www.EggLovesBacon.com.