Gammon is the staple of the western Christmas dinner, yet it plays second fiddle to turkey, surely one of the most boring concepts in poultry cooking. Here we promote gammon to first place in gentle harmony with a novel take on potato salad. So what do we get?
First, great flavour not once, but twice, as well as a five-star meal for the beginner cook.
Peel and quarter some potatoes. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, immerse the potato sections and lower the heat to a simmer. When the potatoes are soft, remove from the heat. Drain, and leave them too cool for later in the proceedings.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. While this is going on, prepare the smoked gammon. If it has come wearing a net, remove it.
With the point of a sharp knife, cut incisions in the fat, creating a grid pattern. Into the grooves, rub by hand the glaze mixture you have made from the tablespoon of English mustard, tablespoon of honey and single teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Place the gammon on a baking tray and stick in the oven for 30 minutes or so. This procedure ensures that the meat is warmed all the way through. Since it is smoked and thus cured, it doesn’t require much in the way of cooking.
Next turn on the grill, allow it to achieve maximum heat, then place the warmed gammon under it. Keep a vigilant eye on the meat and remove it as soon as the fat has become translucent and crispy.
During the grilling phase, place some mint leaves, yoghurt and mayonnaise in a food processor and rev it to the red line. Put the boiled potato sections in a bowl and cover them with the mayonnaise, yoghurt and fresh mint. Stir gently to ensure the potato is covered by the dressing.
Finally thinly slice the gammon, add the salad and serve to wild cries of joy. Don’t add any salt… the cured gammon’s full of the stuff. – David Basckin
