Deviled Ham Salad

By RoketJSquerl

Old School Deviled Ham Salad, made with ground ham, sweet pickles, pimentos and mayonnaise. My version adds in celery and onion, and a little horseradish, spicy mustard, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning with the mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups of smoked or boiled ham, ground (about 2 large thick slices or 1/2 pound)
• 4 sweet gherkin pickles
• 1/4 cup of minced onion
• 1/8 cup of minced celery
• 1 (3 ounce) jar of chopped pimentos, drained
• 1/4 cup of real mayonnaise, more or less
• 2 teaspoons of horseradish
• 2 teaspoons of spicy mustard
• 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped parsley
• Dash of hot sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, or to taste, optional

Preparation

Step 1

Use a grinder or pulse ham in a food processor until minced; add to a lidded storage bowl. Grind or mince the pickles and add to the ham. Add onion, celery and pimentos and mix together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with all of the remaining ingredients, until well blended. Pour over the ham mixture; mix well, taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for several hours until needed; overnight is even better. Spread on crust-less white bread for finger sandwiches and serve with a side of pickled okra and crispy kettle chips, or scoop onto a plate alongside celery and carrot sticks, and serve with pickle spears and crackers.

For a basic ham salad, use only the ham, pickles, pimentos and mayonnaise. For bologna salad, substitute ground bologna. You may also use sweet pickle cubes or relish, but drain well before adding to the ham. Use additional mayonnaise as needed for desired consistency.