When I was a child Gammon/Ham was the center piece of every Easter celebration dinner. It was always served cold, thinly sliced, with mustard and mashed potatoes and vegetables on the side. In all honesty as a child, I was far too full of chocolate and candy to really get too excited about Easter dinner. There would have been a lemon pie for dessert though and that would have gotten me plenty excited. (Its my favourite!)
I had toyed with the idea of getting a leg of lamb this year, but the gammon was just the right price and so I went with gammon. It was New Zealand lamb anyways, and so I didn't feel too disappointed about that. Not that there is anything wrong with New Zealand lamb . . . but I do prefer British lamb. I cannot tell a lie.
I am also a tad bit biased. ;-) Anyways, the gammon was cooked, covered, in a roaster in the oven along with a mixture of vegetables, stock and apple juice until it was tender. I then skinned it and glazed it with a delicious apricot and apple juice glaze.
Perfectly glazed . . . nice and sticky . . . tender, perfectly cooked meat. What more could you want? I added some scalloped potatoes, carrot casserole and peas on the side.
*Apricot Glazed Gammon/Ham*Serves 6 to 8Printable Recipe
Tender ham with a lovely fruity glaze. Gammon is uncooked ham. Once it is cooked it becomes ham. Or so I am told.
2 kg boneless gammon/ham (4 1/2 pounds)3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped2 eating apples, roughly chopped500ml of apple juice (2 cups)500ml water or stock (2 cups)For the glaze:4 TBS apricot preserves/jam250ml apple juice (1 cup)50g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)50ml white wine vinegar (scant 1/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Put the gammon into a large roasting tin with a lid. Scatter the vegetables and apples around the gammon. Pour the juice and water/stock over all. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes per 500g (1 pound) plus an additional 30 minutes. (A total approximately 2 hours) Remove from the oven and turn up the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Place all of the glaze ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.Remove the rind from the gammon, leaving a layer of fat. Cut the fat into a diamond pattern. Pour the glaze over top of the gammon and return to the oven. Cook until the gammon is glazed, basting it every 10 minutes with the glaze. This will take a further 1/2 hour. Take care not to burn the glaze. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving. Carve into slices to serve. Alternately it can be cooled completely and served cold.
The Carrot Casserole is a very old recipe that I have had for a very long time. It goes perfectly with roasted meats of all kinds and is perfect for a holiday dinner. Cooked carrots are mixed with a delicious sauce, covered in buttered crumbs and then baked until all bubbly and golden brown. Fabulous!
*Carrot Casserole*Serves 4 -6Printable Recipe
This is a very old recipe which makes a great accompaniment to roasted meats, poultry and fish. It's simmple and delicious!
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins110g full fat mayonnaise (1/2 cup)1 small onion, peeled and minced55g of creamed horseradish (1/4 cup)2 TBS butter melted2 slices of bread made into crumbs
Put the carrots in a saucepan. Cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and then cook until tender. Drain, reserving 60ml of the cooking water (1/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a casserole dish. Mix together the reserved cooking liquid, mayonnaise, onion, and horseradish. Put the carrots into the casserole dish. Pour the sauce over top. Mix the butter with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top.
Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown on top. Serve warm.
These old fashioned Scalloped Potatoes are made just the way my mother and my grandmother before her made them. No cream sauce needed, you simply slice the potatoes and layer them in a dish with sliced onion, butter, flour, and seasoning. (I like to add some grated cheese on special occasions) Milk is poured over top and then the dish is covered and baked until the potatoes are tender. I like to add some buttered cubes of bread to the top. They help to keep the milk from overflowing and add a nice crunch and flavor. You will want to use full fat milk for this delicious dish! I always buy in a special bottle of Jersey Full Cream Milk. (That is the brand I use, up there. It comes from Scotland and I buy it as Asda. This week it was on offer for £1.)
*Potato Scallop*
Serves 4
Printable recipe
You'll see lots of versions of this recipe which call for the making of a bechamel sauce to cook the sliced potatoes in. My mom never did this, and to be honest we never minded. We always just loved them the way she did them. I still think they are the best of all.
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 TBS flour
2 TBS softened butter
2 TBS finely chopped onion
1 TBS finely chopped parsley
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups whole milk
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Generously butter a large baking dish. Place half of the potatoes into the dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper, flour, onion, cheese and parsley. Dot with half the butter. Repeat the layer, ending with the remaining butter. Pour the milk over top to cover the potatoes. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Take off the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Serve warm.
Optional topping - one or two slices of bread, buttered and broken into chunks. Scatter over top before baking and cover as above.
