Glazed Gammon with Cauliflower Cheese

15 Jun 2020

Sure, summery salads are just the thing to pep you up on a warm day. But sometimes we can’t always bank on the weather, even in the midst of summer. And who doesn’t enjoy a bit of comfort food. Out recipe for glazed gammon with rich, indulgent cauliflower cheese is everything you’ve dreamed of for summer comfort food…and a little bit more!

Ingredients

2kg boneless unsmoked gammon joint

1tbsp black peppercons

1 onion (chopped)

2 carrots (chopped)

2 bay leaves

For the glaze

2tbsp English mustard

3tbsp light brown soft sugar

For the cauliflower cheese

2 large cauliflowers (cut into florets)

50g butter

80g plain flour

100ml double cream

Nutmeg (grated)

250g mature cheddar (grated)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
Place the gammon in a deep roasting tin and pour in 1 litre of water. Add the peppercorns, chopped onions, carrots and bay leaves. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower in a pan of boiling water for around 3-4 minutes. Drain well and leave in the colander to steam dry.
When the ham is cooked, remove from the oil and take off the foil. Leave to cool for a few minutes. Then, strain the liquid from the tin and keep to one side. Remove the string and cut away with the skin and use a knife to score the fat into a diamond pattern.
For the cheese sauce, melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour slowly. This should form a paste. Then, add the reserved ham stock swiftly followed by the double cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg. Bring to a simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring gently, before removing from the heat and adding the cauliflower and the grated cheese.
Transfer the cauliflower cheese into a large roasting tin and bake in the oven (220C/200C fan) for 20 mins.
Finally, heat the grill to medium and nestle the ham into the middle of the cauliflower cheese. Brush the fat with mustard and scatter over the sugar. Grill for 10-15 minutes until he ham is browned and the cauliflower cheese is bubbling and golden.