Primary Ingredients
1 (12-pound) shankless skinless smoked cured ham
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Whole cloves for studding ham
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup black currant preserves or black currant jelly
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons water
Primary Technique
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Score top of ham into diamonds and stud center of each diamond with a clove.
- Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for 1 ½ hour.
- In a bowl combine the sugar, mustard, vinegar, currant preserves (jelly), and water.
- Spread glaze evenly over ham. Bake for another 35 minutes. Transfer ham to a platter and let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Potato and Bacon Gratin Ingredients
1 (2-inch) piece slab bacon, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the gratin dish
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch) see note*
2-½ cups heavy cream
2 cups grated Parmesan
Potato and Bacon Gratin Technique
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the bacon into ½-inch chunks. Place a skillet over medium-low heat and cook the bacon, until crisp.
- Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the garlic to bacon fat in a frying pan.
- Stir and add the chopped bacon back into the skillet, remove from heat and add most of the chives (reserving some for the garnish). Set skillet aside.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1-½ cups of the cream, 1 cup of Parmesan, and the garlic, bacon, chive mix.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a layer of potatoes in the prepared dish, sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with the remaining mix.
- To finish the dish pour the remaining 1 cup of cream over the dish and sprinkle with the extra Parmesan.
- Cover and bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife.
- Remove cover and bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.
*Note: Slice the potatoes immediately before using so they don’t turn brown or slice and hold in cold water.
