In anticipation of my sister visiting us for the holidays my husband and I have been trying out some new recipes. One thing we both love is gammon but strangely we never cook it at home. This week we found a lovely gammon joint and decided to give it a try.
We weren’t sure how difficult it would be to cook. Some people prefer to boil it, some prefer to bake it while others go for a combination of the two. If you boil it first and then finish off the last part of the cooking time in the oven you can get a lovely caramelized texture to the fat especially if you use a honey or maple syrup glaze.
For us the ‘oven only’ option sounded best. We scored the fat in a criss cross pattern which helps expose more of the fat to the heat, allowing more of the fat to be rendered. The end result is meat that is moist and very flavourful. We stuck a handful of cloves into the gammon and then glazed it using local honey. That was it – then it went straight in the oven to cook for just under an hour (obviously cooking times vary depending on the size of the joint).
Gammon Joint with Cloves and Honey Glaze Ready for the Oven
I then started on the potatoes. I don’t have a mandolin (which my fingers are grateful for… ha ha ha yes pun intended) so I had to thinly slice several potatoes with a knife. This was tricky enough but what really helped me was a glass of sherry and taking my time.
The potato of choice was the maris piper. They have a lovely floury texture which is ideal for this dish. I put all the slices in a bowl, seasoned them with salt, pepper and minced garlic and then gave them a quick mix around. The slices were then layered in an oven proof dish and double cream poured over top. As I had some lemon thyme from the garden handy I added a few sprigs for good measure. Then I popped them in the oven for approximately 50 minutes (or until golden brown)
Dauphinoise Potatoes
Meanwhile the aroma from the gammon joint was incredible. It really made our mouths water. All in all the prep time between two of us was about 20 minutes. So it really is an easy meal to prepare. Most of the cooking is done without a lot of fuss in the oven – so you can sit back, relax and have fun (ideal especially if you are entertaining!)
I served up the gammon on some wilted spinach with a generous helping of the potatoes. It was delicious. The best thing was that we had some gammon left over – perfect for some home made beans the next day!
Whether you’re looking for a romantic meal for two or you want to impress friends and family – this is a meal you will be proud of and will find absolutely delicious!
Enjoy!
Honey Glazed Gammon with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Wilted Spinach
The recipe I used for the dauphinoise potatoes is from chef Mike Robinson and features on the brilliant BBC Food website. You can find it on their site but I have also included it below.
Ingredients
1 kg/2lb 4oz baking potatoes, peeled and placed in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning (use floury potatoes such as Russet, King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree)
3-4 cloves garlic
500ml/17½fl oz double cream (you may need a bit extra)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation method
Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2.
Slice the potatoes into thin slices, about 2mm-3mm/0.13in thick. Place the slices into a bowl as you cut them.
Trim the ends off the garlic cloves but don’t peel. Grate the cloves on a grater. The flesh will go through the fine holes and the skins will be left behind. Scrape the grated garlic flesh into the bowl with the potatoes.
Season the potatoes, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the cream over the potatoes and mix well again.
Place the potato slices into the gratin dish. They should come to just below the top of the dish. Press the potato down with the back of a spoon or your hands so it forms a solid layer. The cream should come to just below the top layer of potato (top up with more double cream if necessary).
Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, then check it. If the cream looks like it’s splitting, your oven is too hot, so turn it down a bit. When cooked, the gratin should be golden on top and the potatoes tender. If necessary, give it another 15-20 minutes.
Serve the dauphinoise as a side dish to roasted meat or poultry.
Excellent! Also enjoyed the Indian Pudding recipe very much
Thank you! It’s nice to try some different recipes!
Wow this seems very delicious but not very easy to make. I’m a beginner cook so everything seems lke impossible! I guess I have to start learning.
The best way to learn is just to get in the kitchen and have fun. The Dauphinoise Potatoes were a bit daunting but in fact they are so so SO simple. The main issue is making sure the cream doesnt split – so keep the temperature under control and keep checking on them. In terms of seasoning the potatoes what I do now is put the thinly sliced potato ‘disks’ in a large bowl and put in some of the cream along with minced garlic and salt and pepper. Gently mix and then layer in the ovenproof dish. Finally add a bit more salt and pepper on top and cover with the rest of the cream. What I found is when I didnt do this all the seasoning was of course on top – and it got a bit bland further down the dish. This makes sure it’s seasoned all the way through. Let me know how you get on!