Dijon Marmalade Glazed Baked Ham and Potato Apple Gratin

Every time we buy a ham I ask myself why it's normally reserved for special occasions. Really, there isn't a thing much easier or more satisfying than a good slice of ham, never mind there's no problem coming up with ideas for the leftovers either.

My method for cooking last night's beauty is simplicity itself. I scored the ham into 2 inch diamonds and popped some whole cloves into the diamond points, then poured a half cup of triple sec over the whole thing (Grand Marnier works better) covered the pan with aluminum foil and baked my 9 pound shank end ham for 1-1/2 hours before glazing it in an 8 ounce jar of homemade kumquat/orange marmalade mixed with a quarter cup of prepared Dijon mustard and a couple of tablespoons of horseradish. So far so good, right?

The problem with the menu occurred when I insisted on trying a recipe from Real Simple found on myrecipes.com for an apple and potato gratin. I was intrigued by the addition of egg and buttermilk to the mix and figured swiss cheese and apples would be a natural with a good slice of baked ham. Unfortunately we were very unimpressed with the gratin. Instead of a rich creamy sauce, tender potatoes and tart apples, the casserole separated into an unappetizing looking mess.

I won't be making it again. Sometimes you're just better off going with what you know. I've provided the link in case you're interested in checking it out. Thankfully I reduced the quantities and only made 1/3 of the recipe, which is a good thing. At least I didn't have a ton of leftovers to feed down the disposal. 

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Comments

[Lea]

Yep - I think your drunk ham looks like a winner - whereas the potato gratin, sadly, does not... but I do love me some ham!!! I can just taste that salty goodness!

[June]

Lea - the ham was amazing and even better fried up for breakfast yesterday morning. The orange flavor really came out during refrigeration.

[Shaun]

I still like the idea of the gratin, apple and potato..mmm..but think I'll make it traditional with cream. I think I'll get a small ham for sunday dinner, I do mine the same way and have got Grand Marnier and (shop bought) mamalade left over. As long as the gratin will work I'll make a batch and have it with balsamic pork chops monday night.

[June]

Shaun - the cream will definitely save this gratin along with a touch of nutmeg and I'd leave out the egg too. I'm anxious to hear how it goes so be sure to let me know, OK? As for the ham, Grand Marnier is perfection!

[Lorraine]

Your ham looks yummy, and what a great way to use some of your kickin kumquat marmalade (not to mention that bottle of Grand Marnier). We do ham at Christmas...bookmarked.

[June]

It is definitely tasty....mmm Christmas ham sounds great!