Ham Salad

I had never had ham salad until my coworker brought some to a potluck lunch.  I love egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, and don't forget the turkey salad after thanksgiving (smoked turkey salad if at all possible) but I had never thought to make ham salad.  Just as the other salads are made, mix chopped ham with chopped onions and celery and a dressing of mayo, mustard and pickle relish.

Ham salad can be served on top of a green salad or made into a sandwich.  Pumpernickel bread is especially good.  This is also great for a party appetizer, serve with Ritz crackers or cucumber slices.

You can chop the meat and vegetables as small as you like, I prefer a smoother consistency so I use a food processor to grind the ham, the onions and the celery.  The smaller you chop the veggies the more liquid will come out into the dressing, making your ham salad runny.  You can prevent this by draining the chopped veggies in a mesh strainer, pressing down with a spatula to remove as much liquid as possible (reserve this juice for the stock pot!)  Then mix in the dressing ingredients, cover and chill.


Ham Salad (6 servings)
1 pound fully cooked ham
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Using a food processor, chop the celery and onion.  Drain in a mesh strainer, pressing down with a spatula to remove as much liquid as possible.

2. Grind the ham in the food processor.

3. Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Cover and chill at least 2 hours.