What sides with ham

[BlueThingie]

I'm hosting Boxing Day and I'd like to do a baked ham with roast potatoes. What other sides would you do and would you do a sauce? I'm worried it's going to be dry (not the ham, the meal as a whole).

Thanks!

I too would do potatoes that are soft and creamy rather than roast. Dauphinois/ gratin / mash with parsley sauce / colcannon / potato and celeriac mash etc.

Spiced red cabbage

Something bright green (kale / broccoli/ fine green beans)

Maybe leeks in white sauce?

Don’t faff with starter, do nibbles / canapés.

Leeks in cheese sauce and roast or fondant potatoes

Boxing Day ham needs baked potatoes, spiced red cabbage, some pickle and maybe a green salad. Also some stuffing , preferably chestnut.

Cauli cheese.

What about an apple cider sauce? Something like this?

Ps For the toddlers I would produce some sausages, they could have those with the baked potatoes and a bit of gravy.

Buttery mash and cauliflower cheese are amazing with ham.

My lot have roast potatoes, cauli and cabbage cheese with green beans

Does it need to be a big sit down dinner? With having little ones around and most people presumably having a big dinner Xmas day I'd be tempted to do a buffet with baked ham, pickles, cheese, naice salad, and bread. Sausage rolls and crisps too for kids and adults 😁

@BoopK yes ours is more of a buffet

Potato gratin - or if you're feeling a bit gluttonous, an old housemate of mine used to make Danish caramel potatoes to have with a big salty ham and oh, my, gosh what a treat.

Completely agree with cauliflower cheese and braised red cabbage. We would generally have swede and carrot mash too, with loads of black pepper through it.

If there are toddlers around, I think keeping meat and potatoes relatively plain with sauces from other veg is an easier way to keep everyone happy

Cathedral City cheesy broccoli & peas from Iceland is absolutely gorgeous with ham. I'm having that with our ham served with pommes parmentier.

Red cabbage, mac'n'cheese, and maybe some greens for us!

We usually have turkey and ham for xmas day so the following day then just leftover veg, roasties and gravy.

If making ham on a normal day I would definitely go with creamy mash, cheesy brocoli, carrots and stuffing.

Cauliflower and cheese sauce (cheese sauce means it wont be dry)
Hassleback potatoes (especially if you had a roast on Christmas day)

Sorry if this has already been mentioned (I haven’t read the whole thread) but aldi do a vacuum pack of sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce that is gorgeous…one pack does two servings, so you’d need a few, but if you’d like an easy ‘quick fix’ I can highly recommend them

This is it…£1.59 each 😊

Red cabbage

Delia's Cumberland Sauce is so good

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/cumberland-sauce

Bubble and squeak with piccalilli

I really love cold bread sauce!

Cumberland sauce and this gratin:

www.seriouseats.com/hasselback-potato-gratin-casserole-holiday-food-lab

We just do salads. A potato salad plus a couple of ottelenghi salads (the dds make one each) and then leftovers from the day before. And of course cheese, chutneys, bread and all the cakes.

I serve it cold, or room temp anyway, with my own coleslaw and macaroni cheese pie. Maybe baked potatoes too.

If served hot, IMO mashed potatoes and parsley sauce are hard to beat. Plus a green veg.