12 Easter Mains That Aren't Ham
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Honey-Baked Pork Roast
Instead of the traditional cured ham that's full of sodium and nitrates, bake the flavors of honey-baked ham into a pork picnic roast. You can season it up to 2 days in advance for even better flavor. The cooked roast cuts like ham, with firm, juicy slices that go perfectly with a simple honey-mustard sauce. We use a skin-on picnic roast here, which is cheaper than a Boston butt roast—making the holiday a little more affordable.
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Braised Lamb Shanks With Garlic Gremolata
With the glamour of a fancy entrée yet all the ease of slow-cooker prep, this is ideal to serve on a holiday or special Sunday supper. Let the lamb and sauce be the star of your meal, and serve with blanched beans or roasted carrots.
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Pork Loin Stuffed With Spinach and Goat Cheese
High-flavor ingredients embellish a lean cut in this elegant slow cooker main. A sophisticated stuffing of creamy goat cheese, silky spinach, and lemony herbs give this lean and mighty pork loin 5-star flavor. Topped with apricot-infused sweet and sour sauce, we tip our hats to the slow cooker for coaxing out this degree of decadence.
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Acorn Squash With Sage-Cranberry Rice Stuffing
This beautiful vegetarian main comes together in the slow cooker with acorn squash, pre-cooked brown rice, green onions, and herbs. Crunchy hazelnuts finish the dish, which is perfumed with sage and thyme.
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Braised Pork With Potatoes and Shallots
Use pre-ground fennel and coriander seeds if you’re short on time; you’ll lose the texture the crushed seeds provide, but you’ll get the same great flavor. Substitute 2 teaspoons each of the ground seeds for 1 tablespoon whole seeds.
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Peppercorn-and-Coriander-Crusted Beef Rib Roast
This holiday-worthy roast requires a little planning ahead but is fairly hands-off. Call your butcher ahead of time to cut the roast and remove the chine bone. Slow roast the beef up to 2 hours in advance, then sear it just before serving.
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Grilled Pork Adobo
Adobo is a popular preparation for chicken or pork in Filipino cuisine. Adobo is typically a stewed dish, with the meat simmered in a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, and aromatics. For maximum flavor here, we save the marinade, add extra vinegar, and cook the mixture down into a syrup for basting the grilled pork and drizzling over the finished dish. A touch of brown sugar in the marinade thickens the finished sauce and helps the meat get gorgeously charred bits over the flames.
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Braised Butternut Squash “Short Rib”
Braised short ribs are an iconic holiday comfort food, but that doesn’t mean vegetarians have to miss out! In this recipe, butternut squash (our vitamin A-packed, cold-weather favorite) stands in for beef, getting a long, slow braise in a savory, herb-heavy vegetable broth, yielding fork-tender “steaks” that get smothered in the quick-simmer sauce. It’s a holiday showstopper that will convert the most fervent carnivores at your dinner table.
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Ginger-Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Glazed with honey, ginger, and Sherry vinegar, this stovetop pork tenderloin comes together in about 30 minutes. It's complemented perfectly by a colorful cucumber, radish, and watercress salad.
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Sweet-and-Sticky Instant Pot Short Ribs
Nothing shows off the Instant Pot's capabilities quite like this recipe. Create fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs in just 30 minutes. Coated in a sweet and spicy Asian-inspired sauce, this recipe is wonderful served with a side salad and mashed potatoes or polenta. Any leftover meat can be shredded and used as a terrific taco filler.
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Chunky Spring Gratin
This dish is hearty and cheesy without being heavy. Be sure to use fat asparagus spears; thinner ones will overcook. Feel free to use 4 oblong, shallow gratin dishes for individual portions.
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Roasted Spring Lamb With Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries
"Frenched" racks of lamb are trimmed so that the bones are cleaned of fat and meat. If you can't find pre-Frenched lamb racks, ask the butcher to French them for you.