Roast gammon with sweet potato roasties and bacon sprouts

  • medium
  • 6
  • 2 hours 30 minutes
Not yet rated

Try something different for a roast dinner with this Asian-inspired roast gammon from Graham Campbell. The sticky glaze has plenty of flavour from cardamom, five-spice, soy and honey, while the pairing of sweet potatoes and earthy bacon sprouts are the perfect match.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Roast gammon

Glaze

Sweet potato roasties

Bacon sprouts

  • 300g of Brussels sprouts
  • 60g of bacon, chopped
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 dash of olive oil
  • 1 knob of butter
  • 1 pinch of salt

Method

1
Cover the gammon with water and soak overnight in the fridge - this will reduce the saltiness. Drain, place in a pot and leave under cold running water for 5 minutes
2
Place 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 celery sticks and 3 garlic cloves in a large saucepan. Add the gammon, bay leaf and thyme and pour in enough water to cover. Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil
3
Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 hours. Then, remove from the heat and allow to cool in the pan
4
Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 4
5
For the spice mix, place the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. Grind until broken up and add to a bowl
6
Add the remaining spices, soy, honey and salt to the bowl with the crushed cardamom and stir well to make the glaze
7
Chop the remaining carrot, onion, celery and garlic and place in a deep roasting dish along with 250ml of water
8
Score the fat of the gammon in a large criss-cross pattern. Lay on top of the vegetables and brush all over with the glaze - be sure to use all of the mix as this will be your gravy
9
Place in the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, spooning the glaze over the gammon every 15 minutes or so
10
Wash the sweet potatoes, then pat dry with kitchen towel. Leaving the skin on, cut into evenly-sized chunks for roasting
11
Toss the sweet potato chunks in the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and place into a baking dish lined with parchment paper
12
20 minutes before the gammon is cooked, place the sweet potatoes in the oven
13
Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves from the sprouts and cook in a pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then strain and allow to cool. Cut the sprouts up into quarters and set aside
  • 300g of Brussels sprouts
  • 1 pinch of salt
14
Place a pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until crispy. Add the nutmeg, butter and sprouts and fry until golden
15
Remove the gammon from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Continue to cook the roasties for a further 10 minutes until crispy
16
Carve the gammon and serve alongside the sweet potato roasties and sprouts. Retain some of the juices from the gammon tray and use as gravy. Serve immediately

Despite his relatively young age, Graham Campbell possesses the gastronomic confidence and assured touch of a seasoned pro.

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