Potted Ham
A delicious way to use cooked ham that's easy enough for a quick lunch but impressive enough to serve to guests as a starter. Serve on toast or crusty bread alongside pickles.
Ingredients
- 250 g cooked ham see Recipe Note #1
- 125 g butter (salted or unsalted) see Recipe Note #2
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley or tarragon or chives
- salt and pepper
For the topping
- 40 g butter see Recipe Note #2
Instructions
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Shred or finely chop the ham, discarding any unwanted fat, skin and sinew.
Place into the bowl of a food processor.
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan (see Recipe Note #2 if you want to clarify it), then add it to the ham along with a grind of pepper.
Switch on the processor and blend until just combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Taste and add a little salt plus more pepper if needed.
(Add any additional flavourings such as mustard, cloves, or mace at this point too)
Blend again until your preferred smoothness is reached.
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Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the chopped herbs.
Divide between individual ramekins or dishes and smooth over the tops so they're level.
If you want to be able to turn out the potted ham: line the ramekins or dishes with cling film before filling, or line a 1lb loaf tin to make one large potted ham.
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For the topping
In warmer weather, you may wish to chill the ramekins in the fridge for a few minutes before adding the melted butter topping.
Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan (clarified as per Recipe Note #2 if liked) and pour over the top(s) of the ramekins or dish(es).
Add a grind of pepper or more chopped herbs over the top if liked.
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Put the ramekins or dish(es) in the fridge and leave until the butter on top has set.
Can be kept in the fridge, covered for 3-4 days. Take out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Note #1 You can use any leftover ham or the meat from a cooked ham hock.
If you have more or less ham than suggested in the recipe, the amount of melted butter you'll need to add will be half the weight of the ham.
Note #2 If you want a clearer butter you can clarify it but will need to start with approximately 25 per cent more butter than stated in the recipe. After melting in a saucepan, leave it to settle a few minutes. Pour off and use only the top layer of yellow clarified butter, discarding the white milk solids left behind.