The holidays are fast-approaching, and with them comes the annual requirement of hosting. Dinner parties, cocktail parties, and especially the big holiday meals can seem like a daunting task when you have a life outside of your kitchen. And if you’re an over-acheiver like me, there is added pressure of how to outdo yourself every year.
Every year around this time, my husband and I have the same conversation, where he asks me to promise I will keep any parties simple and not go overboard, for my sanity [but I suspect more for his]. And every year, I try. I really do try to keep that promise. Mostly it devolves into me sitting on the kitchen floor the night before said event, covered in flour and asking anyone within earshot how things got this complicated.
This year, I am convinced I can do it: I can keep. it. simple. And I think I’ve come up with a main course to help me [and you] do just that. It’s a fresh take on a old holiday standby, and it looks and tastes way more complicated than it actually is: herb and dijon crusted ham. Gone are the days of cloyingly sweet hams, sticky with sugar [or worse – pineapple and atomically-colored cherries?!]. Instead, this ham delivers a flavorful herby kick from rosemary, parsley and chives. I promise, with this ham, we can get through the holidays together.
Herb and Dijon Crusted Ham
the ham we used was on the small side, so I would double the recipe for larger hams
- 1 cured ham (4-6 lbs)
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp rosemary, destemmed
- 1 tbsp chives
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
Start by placing your ham in the pan you’re using to roast. I used a cast iron skillet so the bottom would get nice and crispy [it kinda tasted like baconnn]. Using a basting brush, brush your ham with the dijon mustard to create an even[ish] coating. Gather and prep your herbs and garlic.
Smash garlic cloves and place garlic, parsley, rosemary and chives in the bowl of a blender or mini food processor. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend until well combined, which should only take about 10 seconds. Adjust salt and pepper levels as needed. When it’s where you want it, pour over the ham and use your basting brush to again spread it evenly[ish]. Precision is not important here.
Now, it’s time to cook your ham. Honestly, I can’t ever remember how long it takes to cook anything. Much to my horror, cooking times for cured hams is neither an exact science, nor something the cookbooks in my collection cared enough to answer for me [rude]. What I ended up doing was this: jumpstart it at 475 degrees for 20 minutes, then drop the temperature to 325 and continue cooking for between 1 and 1-1/2 hours, or until the internal temp is between 145-150 degrees. Remember, this is for a 4-6lb ham, so my 4-pounder was done in exactly an hour, but an 8-pounder may take closer to 2 hours.
When it’s done, let it rest for a good 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving. We didn’t think it was needed, but if you want a pan sauce, you can easily deglaze the pan you cooked it in over medium heat with 1/2 cup of white wine, another tbsp of dijon and some fresh parsley.
Later, I’ll tell you what to do with the leftover ham bone. But for now, pour yourself a glass of that deglazin’ wine and pretend [for your friends’ benefit, of course] that this took a lot longer than it did. You’ve earned it.
