The Right Amount Of Ham To Make Per Person For Easter

Getting the servings right for a joint of meat is hard enough when you're cooking for just your own household. Adding extra people to the mix only exacerbates that problem, making occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas somewhat anxiety-inducing. While serving too much and sending folks away with leftovers isn't so bad (and can actually earn you some brownie points), ending up with too little can ruin the entire meal.

The best way to figure out how big of a joint to buy is good old-fashioned math. When it comes to ham, you'll want to slightly change your formula depending on whether your ham is boneless or bone-in. For boneless ham, which is ideal if you want an easier carving experience, you'll want to have enough for ½ or ⅓ of a pound per person. If you want bone-in ham, which helps the meat to better retain moisture, up that to ½ to 1 pound per person. It's better to go to the higher end of that scale — some folks might turn up with bigger appetites than you anticipate, and if you're left with extras at the end of the meal then you have delicious ham to use in the coming days.

Cooked ham can last for up to five days in partial or sliced form, meaning a good chunk of it could keep you fed for several days. It can go a bit dry in the fridge if stored uncovered, though, so be sure to cover your Easter ham to keep it from drying out. Since baked ham is such a common staple at holiday meals, folks have long been coming up with ways to use their leftover Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas ham in other recipes.

You could always go simple — there's nothing wrong with a good leftover ham sandwich if you want to zhuzh up your lunch. Cooked ham is fine to eat cold, so just cut off a slice and serve with your favorite sandwich trimmings. If you have time (and a panini maker), combine with Swiss cheese for a ham and Swiss panini.

Ham works with plenty of delicious dinners. For something light, whip up some honey-baked ham split pea soup, or crack some eggs and use your ham to make an omelet or a 15-minute frittata. For heavier dinners, your leftover meat can add extra depth to your sides. Infuse your collard greens with ham, or whip up some creamy scalloped potatoes.