Roast Ham

Ingredients

• 2000 gHam
• 500 mlVinegar
• 1000 mlWater
• 500 mlBroth
• 20 gSalt
• 6 pcsBay leaf
• 90 gShallot
• 20 gPepper
• 3 gClove
• 10 gTarragon
• 50 gButter
• 100 gZwieback
• 2 gNutmeg
• 1 pcsLemon
• 20 gPotato starch
• 600 gCelery

Instructions

1. 1

   Soaking and Pre-cooking

   • If necessary trim off excess bone ends and place the fresh (uncooked) ham in a bowl covered with vinegar to aromatize. Traditionally 8–14 days; alternatively at least 12–24 hours in the fridge (change vinegar occasionally).
   • Rinse the ham, put it in a large pot and add water and chicken stock so it is covered.
   • Add salt, bay leaves, shallots (or onions), whole peppercorns, cloves and fresh tarragon.
   • Bring to a simmer, skim foam and simmer covered over low heat until almost tender (about 2–3 hours, depending on size).
2. 2

   Crust and Roasting

   • Preheat oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan).
   • Strain the cooking liquid and reserve. Remove bay leaves and whole spices.
   • Spread butter on the ham. Either cross-hatch the rind and insert whole cloves into the cuts, or remove the rind and cover the surface with a mixture of finely ground rusk/breadcrumbs and grated nutmeg.
   • Place the ham on a rack above a roasting pan, pour some reserved broth into the pan and roast until golden and tender (about 1.5–2.5 hours), basting gently and often with the stock so the crust dries out and does not wash away.
3. 3

   Sauce and Celeriac garnish

   • Cook the celeriac halves in salted water until half tender (10–15 min), drain.
   • Reduce some of the reserved cooking liquid in a pan. Remove excess fat from the roasting pan and combine with the strained liquid.
   • Thicken the sauce with a slurry of potato starch and cold water (about 20 g starch in 50 ml water), bring briefly to a boil, add lemon slices and adjust seasoning.
   • Let the celeriac finish cooking briefly in the sauce before serving. Carve the ham and serve with sauce and celeriac.