Slow roasted gammon, with port & garlic sauce

Apologies for not posting a recipe last week. The moving house initiative and lack of broadband created difficulties in developing a recipe (and posting it on here), and therefore it fell by the wayside. Not to worry. This weeks recipe will indeed be more than luxurious and homely enough to make amends.



At some point during last week, I decided to cook gammon, to give the slow cooker a good run for its money. It was well worth it.

If you have a slow cooker, the following recipe is ideal if you wish to go away and leave this for the better part of a day. Ideally, this can be prepared in the morning and set to run for when you return home after work / play / other mischief. I gave the gammon approximately 9 hours to cook, which did the trick tremendously.

If you do not possess a slow cooker not to worry. A cool oven and a good foiled roasting tin can do the trick just as well.

I have always been fond of gammon ham. When soaked then roasted, it gives a wonderful flavour that is complemented greatly by the sweet region of the palate - using orange, cranberry, pineaapple, and any sweet fruit can produce tremendous results. With the advent of the slow cooker, we also give ample time and direction for flavour development, which in this case is immense.

For this recipe you will require the following (serves 2 /3)

Small ham / Gammon joint
1/4 bottle of ruby port
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 clove
Pinch Nutmeg
Mixed herbs (approx 1 tsp)
Pinch Black pepper
2 chicken stock cubes
2 Medium sized red onions.

Accompaniment:

3 baking potatoes, sliced thinly
knob of butter.
pinch sea salt

Equipment:

Slow cooker, or deep roasting tin (foiled)
Sharp knife you are comfortable with.
Chopping board.
Saucepan.

First of all I would advise soaking the gammon joint before cooking. This allows the excessive salt in th joint to disperse effectively. After soaking, cut the gammon joint into steak sized slices (depending on how many people you are serving). Put the steaks in the slow cooker, with enough water to generously cover them.

Chop the onions into a fine dice, and keep half of the onion to one side. (You will need it later)

Add the remaining diced onion, mixed herbs, 1 clove of crushed garlic, 1 clove, the nutmeg, and a generous dash of the port to the pot. Cover the slow cooker and return in approx 6 hours. The longer the better.

For the accompaniment:

If you have not already done so, slice the potatoes thinly, and arrange on a baking tray. break up the butter evenly, then add to a hot oven, using the seas salt to season the potatoes. After approximately 8 minutes turn the potaoes over to roast the other side. Alternatively you can saute these potatoes of in a frying pan, to achieve the same result.

When presenting the meal, place the potatoes in the centre of the plate, and place the gammon steaks on top. drizzle sauce around the edges.

For the sauce:

In the saucepan, add the remaining red onion, and a small amount of butter. Saute the onions until soft. When the gammon is ready, drain off approximately 1/2 of the liqour from the pot, and add the remainder of the port in the saucepan. Add the remaining garlic and bring to the boil. Crumble in the 2 chicken stock cubes, then allow to simmer and reduce to desired thickness.

Serve! And most of all, enjoy.