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This post was created in collaboration with Opies. I know it’s only the middle of December, but I wanted to get in there now with one of my favourite recipes for Christmas leftovers I’ve been keeping from you: meet my Leftover Ham & Mustard Béchamel Toasties. Leftover Christmas ham, slices of sharp mini gherkin and a rich, gooey Dijon-mustard spiked béchamel all loaded into soft white bread slathered with butter, and toasted to perfection in the toastie maker. Enjoy by themselves, or make more of a meal of it by serving some of my Shredded Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad (my favourite with festive leftovers) on the side!
I know cheese and ham is the classic toastie filling, and I know lots of you will have lots of leftover Christmas cheese hanging around. But, as I don’t eat most cheeses, egg toasties (or chocolate and banana if I fancy something sweet!) have always been my go-to.
But, a few Christmasses ago I had an idea.
You see, there used to be this restaurant in London called Mac & Wild which did the best Scottish-inspired breakfasts, including a stupidly indulgent bacon sandwich I mourned once they closed. What made it different from every other bacon sandwich in London was the thick layer of gooey, rich, super indulgent béchamel.
You can see now why I decided to stuff leftover Christmas ham and some béchamel into a toastie in the Twixmas-haze of trying to figure out how to reinvent leftovers as lunch, can’t you? Ham and mustard are also a classic combo, and gherkins are essential for cutting through the richness of so many festive dishes.
Mini Gherkins
As I mentioned, I’ve teamed up with Opies for the mini gherkin element of these toasties. Seriously, grab a jar for your Christmas pantry: they’re crisp, sharp (in a good way) and will seriously elevate your leftovers. Available in most major supermarkets, they also make a great topping for my Leftover Roast Potato Cakes (a Boxing Day morning favourite) and enliven my Easy Chicken Paprikash if you’re looking for something simple yet comforting to make for dinner in-between the festive madness.
Using The Right Butter
If you don’t keep soft butter out in a butter dish and you want to make toasties in a hurry, you can use proper butter for the béchamel because you’re melting it, but use whatever spreadable butter (J has Lurpack for all his sandwiches in the fridge) you have to hand to butter the bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the béchamel for these Ham and Mustard Béchamel Toasties in advance?
It’s best made and slightly cooled enough to load into the toasties I’m afraid, which is why I’ve only made enough to serve two, aka to fill both sides of the toastie maker.
I like things a little sharper, will English or American mustard work in place of the Dijon?
Yes – just add it to taste!
Can I use proper bread for this instead of supermarket sliced?
Usually I’m a 110% advocate for the best bread you can buy / make (I do bake all our bread from scratch after all) but I’ve tried making toasties with fancier bread and it just does not work as well as good supermarket plastic bread. If you feel the same as me just freeze the supermarket bread for future toasties, defrosting slices on a plate under cling film to keep it nice and soft.
What sort of toastie maker do you have?
I have this Cusinart onead which I can really recommend – the plates clip in and out really easily for cleaning, and there are also inter-changable panini plates. Literally my only complaint with it is I also own their (fantastic) waffle maker and whilst it is the same machine the plates are not interchangeable which would make life so much easier!
Can I make these without a toastie maker?
Yes, this recipe will work in a frying pan if you get your béchamel very, very thick, but it might get a little messy – good luck!
These super easy Leftover Ham and Mustard Béchamel Toasties are the perfect thing to make with your ham after the big day, with little slices of mini gherkin hidden inside for an extra zing!
Ingredients
Scale
15g unsalted butter, plus extra softened
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
140ml semi-skimmed milk
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
pinch of nutmeg
sea salt
4 slices supermarket white bread
small handful leftover ham
4 mini gherkins
Instructions
First, make the béchamel. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter until it is frothy. Then whisk in the flour, and cook, whisking often for 2-3 minutes to cook out the taste of the raw flour. Gradually whisk in the milk, followed by the mustard and nutmeg. Continue to cook, whisking almost constantly until it has thickened. You want it quite thick (enough to spread without running off the bread as you assemble the toasties) but remember it will thicken a little more as it cools. Set aside.
Spread a very thin layer of butter right to the edges of the four pieces of bread, and prepare the ham and gherkins.
To assemble the toasties, spread the béchamel across the non-buttered side of two pieces of bread, leaving about 1 cm around the edges. Arrange the ham and gherkins on the two corners on top of each béchamel-spread slice, paying attention to the pattern of your toastie maker – you don’t want the hard fillings to be cut off down the middle for a properly sealed toastie without hot béchamel running everywhere!
Place the remaining two pieces of bread on top of the assembled toasties, butter side up, and transfer to your toastie maker. Cook as per the instructions on medium-high, until the bread is crisp and golden on each side. This takes 10-15 minutes in my toastie maker.
Allow to cool a little before tucking in!
Notes
If you don’t own a toastie maker, this recipe will work in a frying pan if you get your béchamel very, very thick, but it might get a little messy – good luck!
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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