Think you don’t have enough time or space to cook Easter dinner? Think again. Featuring cheesy potatoes au gratin, maple-glazed ham, garlicky asparagus, and paprika-spiced carrots, our streamlined version of this notoriously complicated meal is as simple as 2 sheet pans and 30 minutes in the oven.
Prepping all your ingredients before you begin is always key to stress-free cooking, but it’s especially important here. Chop the garlic, shred the cheese, and wash and slice all the vegetables before starting to assemble the food on the sheet pans. And though it might seem smart to wait to prep the asparagus or make the carrot glaze until the sheet pans are in the oven, resist that temptation. It will only turn into a madly stressful 15-minute race against the oven timer—and no one wants that!
If you happen to have leftovers, you can store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. That said, this dinner is full of classic crowd-pleasing sides, so unless everyone has already gorged themselves on chocolate Easter eggs, don’t expect to have much to put away.
Made this? Let us know how it came out in the comments below.
Ingredients
Au Gratin Potatoes
- 1 1/2 lb.
Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/8" thick
- 3
cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups
heavy cream
- 1 cup
shredded Gruyère
Ham
- 1/4 cup
maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp.
Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp.
prepared horseradish
- 1/4 tsp.
chili powder
- 1 1/2
to 2 lb. ham steaks, halved
Carrots
- 8 oz.
carrots, peeled, trimmed, halved lengthwise
- 1 Tbsp.
neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp.
honey, divided
- 1 tsp.
kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp.
chili powder, divided
Asparagus
- 8 oz.
asparagus, trimmed
- 1
clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
Assembly
- 4
dinner rolls
- 1/4 cup
shredded Parmesan
- 1/4 cup
finely sliced chives
Directions
Au Gratin Potatoes
- Step 1Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°. Line a baking sheet with a single piece of foil. Line a second baking sheet with 2 pieces of foil, turned up to meet in the middle of sheet to create a high-sided divider.
- Step 2In a medium pot, combine potatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour cream over and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cream has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Step 3Arrange potatoes in an overlapping pattern on one side of the foil divider. Top with Gruyère.
Ham
- Step 1In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup, mustard, horseradish, and chili powder.
- Step 2Arrange ham, slightly overlapping as needed, on second side of foil divider opposite potatoes. Brush with half of glaze; reserving remaining glaze.
Carrots
- Step 1In a large bowl, toss carrots with oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder. Spread on half of other prepared pan.
- Step 2In a small bowl, stir remaining 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder; set aside.
Asparagus
In a large bowl, toss asparagus with garlic, oil, salt, and pepper.
Assembly
- Step 1Bake both sheet pans simultaneously: Bake ham and potatoes on bottom rack, brushing ham with reserved glaze every 15 minutes, until ham is crisp around the edges and potatoes are golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Bake carrots on top rack until softened, about 15 minutes.
- Step 2Meanwhile, arrange dinner rolls side by side on a piece of foil and tightly wrap to seal.
- Step 3After 15 minutes, remove carrots from oven. Brush carrots with reserved chili honey, arrange asparagus on other side of pan, and place foil pack with rolls along bottom edge of pan. Continue to bake until carrots are just tender, asparagus is crisp-tender, and rolls are heated through, about 10 minutes more.
- Step 4Remove vegetable sheet pan from oven and remove foil pack with rolls. Sprinkle asparagus with Parmesan. Continue to bake until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Step 5Remove both sheet pans from oven. Sprinkle potatoes and carrots with chives.