Summer Ham Salad Recipe

Ham salad is one of those retro Southern dishes that never goes out of style. It makes a satisfying lunch or snack. Instead of having the usual ham salad at your next family gathering or picnic try a new recipe from Southern Living magazine. Start with good-quality Smithfield Smoked Ham, chopped. To make the salad, the chopped ham is mixed with finely chopped scallions, finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, Creole mustard, ground cayenne pepper, and black pepper for a hint of heat, and one unexpected ingredient: cream cheese. Instead of the usual mayonnaise or sour cream dressing, we combine all of the ham salad ingredients with cream cheese for extra richness. Be sure to use full fat cream cheese and make sure that it is at room temperature when you’re ready to make the ham salad so that the cream cheese is soft enough to work with. This ham salad can be made up to five days in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 scallions
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. Creole mustard
¼ tsp. black pepper
8 oz. smoked fully cooked ham, finely chopped

Stir together 4 ounces of cream cheese, 2 scallions, 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1 tablespoon of Creole mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper in a medium bowl. Fold in 8 ounces of ham.