Let us show you the best side dishes to serve with your ham this Easter from the best spring vegetables to potatoes and salad but don't forget the dessert.
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Easter is fast approaching. Or slow approaching! I guess it depends on when it is each year. When it's later in April, I feel like I anticipate it more. When it's in March, I almost forget it's coming up.
No matter when Easter is, I typically have ham (cooked in the Instant Pot). A lot of people do. I wanted to share some side dishes, breads, and desserts to serve with your ham.
💐 Spring Vegetables
The timing of Easter can have an impact of what seasonal vegetable are at their peak. Easter can be as early as March 22nd and late as April 25. But I still think there are some things you can count.
Fresh Asparagus is the vegetable of the season. This is the time of year where asparagus is best. So if you can include in your Easter meal, your guest will love you. Here are some ways we like to use asparagus, put any of these on your menu.
Spinach is another classic spring veggie. It tastes best in the spring. Sometimes you can find local farms selling spinach that was overwintered. It's super sweet. I had a patch of spinach last through the winter before and when spring came it exploded. I never had so much tasty spinach to harvest. Make a salad with spinach. Super easy.
Radishes are best in spring. You might be able to find Easter Egg Radishes which come in different colors and make a great presentation. I have seen them many times at Whole Foods Market. Did you know you can cook them? Most people think just serve then raw, but try cooking them by:
- Cut the radishes in half
- Add to a pan with some butter over low to medium heat.
- Cook until browed and soft. Should be around 10 minutes or so.
When Easter is later in April, you might be able to find source wild ramps for your Easter meal. They are kind of like a mix between garlic and onion and can be used in any recipe that calls for them. Super fun if you can track them down.
Brussels sprouts aren't a spring veggie, they are best in fall. Yet they are still available year round and will go good with ham. I will say the same for green beans as well.
🥕 Carrots
I personally believe that carrots belong with ham. The sweetness of carrot balances out the saltiness of the ham. Try any of these carrot recipes:
- Buttery Roasted Carrots
- Sous Vide Butter Poached Carrots
- Quinoa with Wild Ramps & Diced Carrots
- Honey Tarragon Carrots
🥔 Potatoes
What kind of potatoes do you serve along with a ham? While mashed potatoes would work, they are usually better with turkey on Thanksgiving day. If you do want mashed potatoes, you should try my beautiful swirled mashed potatoes. I think for this holiday people are looking for potatoes that are creamy and/or cheesy. Au gratin or scalloped ae both popular choices.
When deciding on what potatoes to use you should pick a waxy potato. Any of these will work:
- (Yukon) gold
- red potatoes
- fingerling potatoes
Need a recipe, try this one - Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese
Sweet potatoes are cheap and easy to prepare any time of year. If you have a sous vide machine, give our Sous Vide Sweet Potato recipe a try.
🍞 Bread
I never need an excuse to have bread with a meal, but Easter is certainly a great one. Here are some suggestions:
Of course the traditionally thing to bake is Hot Cross Buns. Good Friday is the day to serve those but I don't see why you can't have them all weekend long.
🥗 Salad
As mentioned above, spinach is great for a salad for Easter. Even better with homemade salad dressings. Here are some other salad ideas from some of my fellow bloggers.
🥧 Dessert
For me the ultimate dessert to wrap up a perfect Easter feast is Lemon Meringue Pie. I used Alton Brown's Reloaded recipe one Easter. Oh my goodness. It doesn't get any better.
If that isn't your thing, here are some other ideas:
Need help cooking your ham? Check out these popular posts - How to Keep a Spiral Ham from Drying Out and How to Cook a Ham in the Instant Pot.
Ashley @ Big Flavors
Thanks for including my potato salad recipe, Eric! Looks like a great assortment of recipes for an Easter feast!