Luke Mangan: Festive Glazed Ham

Festive glazed ham

Serves 12

Ingredients
5.5kg cooked leg ham or picnic ham
2 tbs whole cloves
Juice of 2 oranges
1 bunch bay leaves
1 cup of honey
1 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Method
Using a sharp knife, score a zigzag pattern around the shank end of the ham. Starting at the bottom of ham, slide your fingers under the skin and work them up between skin and fat, loosening the skin as you go. When you reach the scored shank end, gently pull skin back in one piece and discard.
Preheat oven to 190C. Using a sharp knife, trim fat layer, if necessary (this is more likely on a picnic ham), so that fat is no more than 5mm deep. Score a shallow diamond pattern in fat, at 1.5cm intervals, without cutting into meat. Stud the point of each diamond with a clove. Place ham in a large roasting pan. Pour orange juice over the ham and then pour 1/3 cup water into base of pan.
For the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Brush thickly over ham. Bake ham for 45 minutes, basting with juices occasionally.

Push an uncooked clove into each of 12 bay leaves and press into ham. Brush ham with pan juices then bake for a further 15 minutes or until glaze is deep brown. If juices in pan evaporate too quickly, add a little more water. Transfer ham to a platter.

To carve, remove cloves and bay leaves. Steady the ham with a carving fork (or use a regular dinner fork) then use a long, thin carving knife to carve thin slices away from the bone, following the grain of the meat. Using the fork, transfer slices to a platter. Continue slicing in the same manner, working around the bone, then turn ham over and repeat on the other side.

Serve warm or at room temperature with remaining bay leaves, tomato relish and honey mustard.