Preparation
The Easter feast generally falls at the start of spring, a time of new beginnings. The garden awakens with the first shoots of asparagus, leeks, and other vegetables, each of which plays an important role in this traditional Easter dinner menu. Artichokes can be steamed and chilled in advance and served with tarragon-flecked mayonnaise as a simple starter. A baked ham coated with a sweet, yet tart citrus glaze takes center stage.
Roasted asparagus and scalloped potatoes round out the meal with their creamy textures and earthy flavors. While a lemon cake makes an ideal finish—especially when accompanied by bunny-shaped sugar cookies, a subtle nod to both the holiday and the season. A combination of make-ahead and last-minute strategies results in an impressive meal that comes together with very little effort. Below, find a carefully curated traditional Easter dinner menu sure to delight.
It doesn’t get more elegant than this chilled appetizer. Everyone will adore dipping tender Steamed Artichokes into Tarragon Mayonnaise for a lemony, herb-packed flavored dish.
Slices of Marmalade-Glazed Ham are piled high atop a platter, garnished with caramelized orange slices. A chilled Riesling, preferably one from the Pacific Northwest, pairs perfectly with the ham’s sweet, salty, and tart flavors.
Nutty Gruyere cheese and delicate spring leeks add complexity to this sophisticated Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks casserole.
First-of-the-season Roasted Asparagus needs little more than oil, salt, pepper, and a quick turn in the oven to shine.
Cap off the feast with a light, spongy Lemon Cake decorated with your favorite edible flowers (we used fresh borage blossoms).
Serve these sweet Sugar Cookie Bunnies on dessert plates for a charming end to the meal or wrap in cellophane and set out as party favors.
The day before guests arrive, assemble the scalloped potatoes, but do not bake them yet. Instead, cover and place them in the refrigerator. Bake the lemon cake and cookies, set the table, and chill beverages.
Two hours before mealtime, cook the ham and steam the artichokes. Once the artichokes are ready, put them in the refrigerator. An hour and a half before everyone arrives, put potatoes in the oven and make the glaze for the ham. Next, score the ham and brush with your just-made glaze—adding orange slices and then continue to bake. Thirty minutes before, make the tarragon mayonnaise and refrigerate. While letting the ham rest, roast the asparagus. Finally, moments before sitting down to eat, garnish the cake, slice the ham, and pour the beverages.
