Easter dinner for four comes together easily in a little over an hour when you cook it on a pair of sheet trays. With tender asparagus, sweet glazed carrots, a decadent potato gratin, roasted ham, and even homemade biscuits, there’s plenty to eat with little fuss.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note)
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing biscuits
- 1 pound medium carrots, peeled
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 2 small bunches thick asparagus, tough ends snapped off, bottom half of stalks peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2)
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)
- Three 7- to 8-ounce ham steaks, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 3 slices canned pineapple in heavy syrup, plus 1 teaspoon of the syrup
- 3 maraschino cherries, halved (optional)
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 4 lemon wedges
- Mustard, for serving
Instructions
- Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
- Make the scones. Whisk the flour, 1 tablespoon of the parmesan, the baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper together in a large bowl. Add 3/4 cup of the cream and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, transfer it to a floured surface and pat into a 1-inch-thick square. Cut into 4 equal-sized square biscuits, reshaping if necessary, and transfer to a plate to chill.
- Cut the carrots into 1 1/2-inch chunks on the bias, halving any larger pieces to keep them all roughly the same size.
- Line one sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the carrots on half. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Drizzle the carrots with the butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. On the other side of the tray, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper and spread it evenly. Bake on the bottom rack until the vegetables are just beginning to become tender, 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds with a mandoline or a vegetable slicer and place in a medium skillet with a lid. Stir the remaining 1 cup heavy cream, the garlic, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper together in a measuring cup or bowl and pour over the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover the pan, and lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife and the cream has thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and spoon the marmalade over them, stirring until completely coated. Turn the asparagus spears and return the baking sheet to the oven.
- Butter 1/3 of the clean sheet pan. Spoon half the potato slices into an even, overlapping layer on the buttered area and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Top with the remaining potato slices, spoon any remaining cream over, and sprinkle with the Gruyere and remaining tablespoon of Parmesan.
- Arrange the ham slices in a single overlapping layer down the center of the sheet pan, leaving an empty space for the biscuits. Mix the brown sugar and pineapple syrup together in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second increments, stirring in between until the sugar has melted. Spoon the glaze onto the ham slices and spread it with the back of a spoon to cover. Cut the pineapple rings in half and lay a piece on top of each ham slice. If using, place a maraschino cherry half in the center of each pineapple slice and pin it down with a clove. If not, pin the pineapple to the ham with the clove.
- Evenly space the chilled biscuits on the tray and brush the tops with cream. Place the tray on the higher rack of the oven. Cook both trays until the potatoes are brown and crusty on top, the carrots are glazed and fully cooked, the asparagus is tender and lightly browned, the scones are golden, and the ham and pineapple are warmed through, about 20 minutes.
- To serve: Stir the carrots and grate the hard-boiled egg over the asparagus. Divide evenly among 4 plates. Serve with lemon wedges and mustard on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1141 |
| Total Fat | 65 g |
| Saturated Fat | 35 g |
| Carbohydrates | 85 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 57 g |
| Cholesterol | 282 mg |
| Sodium | 4174 mg |
Reviews
I have made this a couple of times. Delicious and easy meal. The second time, I made a foil “boat” to put the biscuits in so they didn’t get soggy from juices. Worked perfectly.
Found this in 2020 and made again in 2021. Perfect amount of food for 3! Agree with other reviews – wait to add the asparagas and be aware of moisture in biscuit bottoms.
But overall a perfect dinner for a small crowd. Making again today for Easter Dinner 2022 but doing a separate small ham which will make room for more of the other sides!
But overall a perfect dinner for a small crowd. Making again today for Easter Dinner 2022 but doing a separate small ham which will make room for more of the other sides!
I’d like to make this recipe for Easter and I notice the recipe calls for medium carrots. If I substitute that for baby carrots, well the Baby carrots still cook evenly?
I can’t believe this has only 19 reviews. It is a hidden gem! I made it last year and am preparing to make it this Easter too.
It was a hit. Potatoes and scones were the best!
Fantastic, easy holiday dinner! The cooking time for the asparagus is too long for my taste, but otherwise this recipe is fabulous. Seasoning is great, flavors worked well together, and the food got rave reviews from my family. Will become an Easter tradition!
Definitely bake only the carrots first then everything else together. Perfect!
Made this for my solo Easter, due to quarantine. Since I’m used to cooking for a large crowd on Easter, I halved the amounts of almost everything and still had a nice dinner the 2nd day. Depending on the size of your asparagus, watch carefully, as the tips were almost crispy (which I liked!). I also would put the scones on a separate pan, so they do not soak up juice. Tip: Line your pan with heavy-duty foil or you’ll be scrubbing caramelized brown sugar off your sheet pan.
This is a fun recipe if you are having a small gathering. I would suggest doubling, at least, the amount of thyme in the scones and potatoes. Also, unless you like your asparagus limp the cooking time is way too long for the spears. Next time I’ll put the asparagus in to roast when the meat and potatoes go in. I also added in broccoli at the time of the potato roast for those that don’t like asparagus.
Made this for Easter dinner 2020 and it was a home run. One major adjustment I would make based on a problem I had was that when everything came out of the oven the pineapple juice soaked into the scones and made them soggy on the bottom. I put them on a separate pan back in the oven for a few more minutes to dry out. They got even better color this way and we’re still nice and flakey. Put them on foil with a rim to protect them. I also used green beans instead of asparagus because I absolutely cannot stand eating asparagus. Next time I’m going to add some ginger to the carrots.