Back when I lived in my apartment, the local grocery store’s butcher department had a great store-made ham salad. Every time I visited the store, I would get a little container of it. Whether it was spread on a few crackers or on a piece of bread to make a sandwich, it was simple, packed with flavor and totally hit the spot. When I saw the recipe for Deviled Ham and Pickle Sandwiches in the April 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine, it instantly reminded me of that ham salad. Funny how I had forgotten all about it.
I quickly jotted down the ingredients and planned on making it for an upcoming lunch. Usually I don’t plan lunches during the week. Since I work mostly from home, lunch consists of scrounging for leftovers, and nothing more exciting than that. It was time for a change.
Consisting of mostly pantry items, it takes just a few minutes to whip together, and you’ll have a fantastic lunch in no time flat. Although it wasn’t suggested, I served the deviled ham on pumpernickel bread. I’m a fan of the dark bread in small doses, and it seemed like it would be perfect for this salad recipe.
Between the slight tang of the deviled ham, to the sharp bite of the raw onions and the sweet ending of the pickles, it was totally lick-your-fingers good .. and beyond that, a nice respite from leftovers. Surprisingly, even Madeline agreed, coming back again and again for another bite. She’s got good taste that one.
Deviled Ham and Pickle Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet magazine, April 2009
- 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked ham (1/2 pound)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
- Sliced cornichons or dill pickles
- Thinly sliced sweet onion
- 8 slices sandwich bread
Pulse ham with mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco in a food processor until finely chopped. (I just chopped the ham up and mixed it all together in a bowl, and skipped the food processor)
Make sandwiches with ham mixture, pickles, onion, and bread.
Yield: 4 sandwiches (I’d be hard-pressed to say there was enough for 4 sandwiches. Maybe 3)
This looks similar to something my family does every year the day after Easter; it’s a great way to use up leftover ham! We used to send the ham through a meat grinder – the one time of the year it came out of the cabinet!
I’m not hosting easter this year – but I may have to pick up the ingredients for this so I can have my after-holiday tradition.
Isn’t it interesting how recipes seem to come and go from our lives. Then, all of a sudden, something reminds us of it? This looks absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, now I’ve found yours!
Joie de vivres last blog post..Mashed Potatoes with Mustard and Crunchy Shallots
Must be a traditional thing at easter – we used to have this too but usually mixed with egg salad as well. I absolutely love sandwiches…and if they have pickles on them all the better! Give me a cubano any day. This is going in the recipe pile of things to make soon.
Oh – did you use leftover cooked ham?? Or deli?
Cathys last blog post..Pizza again
I’ve never had ham salad before, but it sure sounds good! I love your Madeline stories :)
Saras last blog post..See’s Candies giveaway
OMG my grandmother used to make these for me. I had totally forgotten about them until now. What a fun memory!
RecipeGirls last blog post..Mini Carrot Cake Cheesecakes with Cream Cheese Icing (& Marzipan Carrots)
Oh yum! I love open faced sammies. This looks delish!
scoops last blog post..Running Season is ON
What a great sounding sandwich! It looks so spring-time-y, too!
Elyses last blog post..Sweet Melissa Sundays: Honey Beescotti
Yum! I thought I was the only person that liked ham salad. My first job when I was 16 was at a country club where they made a very similar sandwich. I wish I wasn’t at work so I could make one right now…
New Yorkers really know how to make a sandwich. It’s nearly worth the trip to get one. Looks delicious. Thank you for dropping into my Blog and leaving a comment :)
Rhyleysgrannys last blog post..Vi’s Oaties
Cathy – the two times I made it last week, I used deli ham. But after everyone mentioned having it with leftover Easter ham, you can bet that’s what I’ll be doing come next week. ;)
Rhyleysgranny – I love a good sandwich, just never seem to make them enough. ;)
Sara – oh thank you! She’s such a little monkey she always keeps it interesting!
So fun to hear that everyone has such great memories of ham salad – now that I’ve rediscovered it, I’ll definitely be making it more often, and the idea of mixing it with egg salad sounds good too, and goodness knows we’ll have a bunch of eggs leftover on Monday!
Okay, I’m definitely making this! And I do have leftover ham right now, such luck.
Kalyns last blog post..Recipe for Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Red Peppers and Hot Pepper Flakes
Just saw this thanks to Kalyn’s tweet about it; have tagged for near-future enjoyment. Haven’t had deviled ham in eons; my mom was a big fan of it — the canned stuff. This will be a definite step up!
Lisas last blog post..Classic Events Catering Does It Up Right for AAA Show
Wow, your sandwiches look so tasty!
Thanks for sharing the pics and the recipe.
It was ironic that today I was watching Rachael Ray’s show and she made deviled ham but hers didn’t really sounds as I remembered so I looked through a few sites on the good old web and came across yours. It has been eons since I have had deviled ham salad, the only thing I remember is that my mother made it with non other the ground bologna. Don’t laugh, it is realy quite good>