Ham Cakes with Pineapple and Sweet Potatoes

Another Joy of Cooking recipe.

Prepare mixture for Ham Loaf, and shape into six 3-inch patties (cakes). Preheat oven to 375° F. Drain, reserve juice:
          One 20-ounce can pineapple slices in JUICE
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add and heat:
          1 tablespoon veg. oil
Place 6 pineapple rings in the skillet and cook, turning over once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the slices to a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Set aside. Add to the skillet and heat:
          3 tablespoons veg. oil
Carefully place the ham cakes in the skillet and cook the cakes until the undersides are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer. Place 1 cake on each pineapple slice. Return the skillet to medium heat and add:
          1 tablespoon veg. oil
When the oil is hot, add:
          Two 16-ounce cans sweet potatoes, drained and sliced
          1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
          1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Cook, turning the potatoes gently with a spatula until glazed, about 3 minutes. Place a chunk of potato on each ham cake and scatter remaining potatoes over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the reserve pineapple juice into the baking dish. Bake until juices are thick and bubbling, about 30 minutes, basting the ham cakes several times just before serving.

Here's how I did this without the oil:

Take leftover ham loaf, cut into 4 to 6 pieces. Grill on Foreman.

Drain pineapple juice into glass, grill pineapple slices. Drink juice b/c that's the way I roll.

Drain sweet potatoes, grill.

This should be the holy trinity of flavors. Alas, I was done in by canned sweet potatoes b/c I was too lazy to buy fresh, nuke them in my microwave, and make the glaze properly.

Layer ham slice, pineapple, and a few pieces of questionable "sweet potato" on plate.

Taste "sweet potato" chunk. Gag. Feed offending lumps of disgusting cardboard to overly eager dog that is staring at you.

Nom nom nom on the pineapple and ham pieces while said dog is trying to mind control you like an evil Jedi.

Dump offending fake but not fake sweet potato down disposal and vow to always buy fresh from now on...no matter how tired, cranky and/or hot I am.

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