A very official ranking of the best ways to use up leftover Christmas ham
Christmas Day may only last 24 hours, but the joy lives on... and on... and on... in ham leftovers.
For many Aussies households, the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve (and sometimes even beyond) present a unique gastronomical opportunity: an exploration of the infinite ways ham can be eaten.
While some ham fans are content to just keep cutting it off in hunks to eat unadorned – why mess with perfection, after all? – others get creative with flavour combinations and cooking methods.
Watch the video above.
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Post-Christmas, a challenge awaits: how on earth to get through all this leftover ham? Getty
From frying it up to eat with eggs, to making it the star of stuffed mushrooms or adding it to baked beans, the sky really is the limit.
(And yes, we are aware freezing it for a later date is an option, but don't ruin our fun.)
That said, there are some classic go-to methods for eating leftover Christmas ham, and a very official poll of the 9honey office reveals one is a standout: we all love shoving it between two pieces of bread.
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Toasties made with Christmas ham just hit different, don't they? Getty
The classic ham toastie or sandwich reigned supreme, receiving more than half of the votes.
It makes sense – if you've got ham, chances are you also have leftover salads, sauces, cheeseboard delicacies and other bits and pieces from your Christmas feasting to make a sandwich so elaborate, Ross from Friends would be jealous.
Coming in hot (or cold, depending on your preference) at number two is a more minimalist approach to ham leftovers: simply eating it slice by slice.
The next most popular option was dicing up the ham to use in fried rice – delicious – followed by ham omelettes.
There were also some votes in favour of using ham leftovers for carbonara or other pasta dishes, in salads, and frying or barbecuing it up.
"Dad cooks it on Boxing Day with eggs. Literally fries it like bacon. We call it 'hambuccan'," one 9honey writer reveals.
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Adding leftover ham to fried rice also rated highly. Getty Images/iStockphoto
"Fried up on the BBQ. Add some relish and it's heaven!" another declares.
Sadly, it seems nobody is in the mood for pea and ham soup in the aftermath of Christmas, with the soup option receiving precisely zero votes in our poll.
If these options don't tickle your fancy and you're feeling daunted by the leftover ham staring you in the face every time you open the fridge, here are some more ideas for how to get through it:
Bon appetit!
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